Back at East High
by unknownbyhim22
Summary: Full teaser inside. Gabriella is back at East High after being gone for eighteen years, so is everyone else, but where is Troy? Why isn't he there?
1. Chapter 1

**I'm back! Ha. I was like gone for two seconds. Well, here's my new story, Back at East High. The description is below... read and review if you want to! Enjoy!**

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Gabriella goes back to East High, pursuing her teaching career as a twelfth grade English teacher. She never wanted to remember the events and people from high school, but teaching there doesn't really help her to forget.

She watches the kids in her class and can't help notice a certain student looking a lot like Troy Bolton. What's his last name?

Those crystal blue eyes are staring back at her again and she begins to run into everyone from her past. The drama teacher is no longer Ms. Darbus but Sharpay herself, the choreographer Ryan Evans. Chemistry lab filled with the familiar voice of Taylor Mckessie and Chad's the basketball coach. Why did they all choose to come back? What was so special about East High? What will keep them there? And why is Troy the only one not there?

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Back at East High

Chapter one

The white cloud that formed when Ms. Montez began to write her name on the green chalk board that went from one side of the class room to the other, faded into small white specks that fell silently onto the ledge where the small, unbroken pieces of chalk lay. The sound of the newly installed air conditioner rumbled above all the other sounds that erupted from the hallway. Ms. Montez placed the piece of chalk back on the ledge and opened her top left drawer to take out a few pieces of paper for the students that would be arriving in a few short minutes. The sound of the classroom door opening made Ms. Montez look up from her papers. She smiled when she saw a dark haired, petite looking girl standing in the doorway.

"Am I early? I can leave if you want me to." She said as she hugged her brown book to her chest.

"Oh no, you can come in. It's starting to get too quiet in here." Ms. Montez answered.

"Sorry to break it to you, but it's going to stay quiet. I don't really talk much." She said with a timid smile.

"Well that's okay. You can sit anywhere if you want." Ms. Montez said with a smile.

"You let us sit anywhere?" The girl asked.

"Yeah, you have to meet people somehow." She answered.

As the girl with the brown book walked towards the back of the class, more students started to file in. The small groups of twos and threes came in talking and they sat together when they choose a seat. Ms. Montez passed out a few papers when most of the class was seated. They were mainly parent letters that she knew would end up on the bottom of most of the student's backpacks, but she wrote the letter anyway. The class was made up of seniors so they were used to the parent letters and the to-do lists for the year to come. As the bell rang, a few boys walked in, laughing and shouting while they moved swiftly to their desks. They sat in one row, one behind the other. When the class was quiet Ms. Montez began to speak.

"Welcome to English class everyone. I won't bore you with too much talking because I know your other teachers will say the same speech over and over again. This is my first year teaching here at East High and I'm excited to be here. I heard from a few students that this is the best school around." She said with a smile.

"You know it!" One of the guys in the middle of the classroom hooted.

"And why is this school so great?" She asked.

A girl in a pink blouse raised her hand and her pearly white teeth could be seen from miles away. Ms. Montez smiled and pointed to her so she would answer the easy first day question.

"Because of the drama club, of course!" She said happily.

Some of the students groaned and all the boys booed loudly.

"The drama club, huh? I had a pretty good drama club back in the day." Ms. Montez said.

"I've been in almost all of the performances." The girl in the pink continued.

"Impressive."

"That's because no one else tries out." A boy with shaggy brown hair coughed.

"Excuse me? Do not make the theatre into some kind of farce!" The girl scowled.

"What's your name?" Ms. Montez asked the boy.

"Blake." He answered.

"Well Blake, that comment was inappropriate. You should be nicer to your classmates. You never know when I will randomly pair people up for projects."

"Sorry." He said as he bounced his pencil on the rubber eraser.

"Who's your theatre director?"

"Mrs. Baylor. She's amazing! Oh and my name is Summer."

"Nice to meet you Summer… So what else goes on here?" Ms. Montez asked eagerly.

A dark skinned boy with curly brown hair raised his hand. He was a good-looking boy and he looked like someone who would be involved in a lot of sports. His letterman jacket gave it away immediately.

"Yes…" Ms. Montez started.

"My name is Carl. People call me C." He said.

"Okay… hey, C." Ms. Montez said with a laugh.

"East High is known for their sports. We have an amazing basketball team, thanks to my man Blake over here." He said pointing to the shaggy haired boy.

"Ooh. So, Blake, are you the star basketball player?" Ms. Montez asked as she leaned up against her desk.

"Some people might say that, but I couldn't do it without my team." He said as he leaned back in his desk.

"What team?!" Carl shouted.

"Wildcats!" The class shouted back. Everyone except the girl with the brown book.

"I assume you are the ladies' man too." Ms. Montez said with a laugh.

Giggles broke out among the girls of the class and Blake just grinned as Carl patted him on the back with a laugh.

"So what about academics?" Ms. Montez asked.

"I thought we were talking about sports! Now we are talking about the boring stuff?" A boy from behind Carl said. He was wearing a shirt that said 'Just because I can cook doesn't mean I can't beat you on the court.'

"Academics are not boring. I just so happened to be on the Scholastic Decathlon team when I went to high school." The girl in the back of the room smiled as Ms. Montez talked.

"I don't know anything about academic teams." Carl said.

"Don't you have math and science competitions here?" Ms. Montez asked. She saw the girl in the back frown.

"Nope." Summer said cheerfully. "We used the money we would have used for those teams for the theatre _and_ basketball team." She explained.

"So you just left nothing for everyone else who used to be on the teams?" Ms. Montez asked.

"No one was on the team. Only three girls. One's over there if you want to know more about it." Summer said as she pointed to the girl in the back. "Her name's like Olivia or something."

"What's your name?" Ms. Montez asked the girl.

"It's Gabi." She said quietly.

Blake and what seemed like the entire basketball team turned and looked at her, but they quickly looked back at Ms. Montez.

"I like that name." Ms. Montez said with a smile.

"Thanks." She said shyly.

"Can we ask you some questions?" Carl asked.

"Sure."

"How old are you?" He asked.

"I'm thirty-six."

"Really?" Zac asked. He was the boy in the cooking shirt.

"Yeah. Why?"

"You look younger." He said.

The boys sitting in front of him turned around and looked at him in disbelief.

"Dude." Carl said quietly.

"I guess that's a compliment… hopefully." Ms. Montez said with a smile.

"So what high school did you go to?" Summer asked.

Ms. Montez smiled awkwardly and looked around at the class.

"You wouldn't know it." She lied.

"Oh." Summer said simply.

Ms. Montez couldn't help but notice that this class was bringing back a lot of memories. It was as if they were all playing a role of someone she once knew. The bell rang shortly after her quick note to self and the class walked quickly out of the room and out into the hallway. Gabi came up to her and paused before she spoke, as if she had to think of what she was going to say.

"So you were on the Scholastic Decathlon team in high school?" She asked.

"Yes, I was. I loved it a lot. It's sad to come back and see it gone."

"Come back?" Gabi asked.

"You know… to a high school without a team like it. I thought everyone had one." She answered calmly.

"I wish it was still around."

"Me too. Maybe I will start it up again once I get used to the school." Ms. Montez suggested.

"You'd do that?" Gabi asked cheerfully.

"Maybe."

"You know, if you ever need help I can help you. I have a lot of free time since the team is over." Gabi offered.

"I'd love that. You know, you remind me of someone I used to know." Ms. Montez said.

Gabi smiled and laughed quietly.

"Well, I have to get to my next class before my usual seat in the back is taken." And with that Gabi walked out with a little bounce in her step as she walked around the groups of people in the hallway.

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**Like it? Review!**

**Much love,**

**unknownbyhim22**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you so much for all of your reviews! I'm so glad that all of you are liking this story so far. I know that it can get confusing with Gabi and Gabriella, but just hang in there. I'm sure you'll get used to it after fifteen chapters go by... :) Enjoy!**

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Back at East High

Chapter two

Ms. Montez thought it would be fun to have her English class take her on a tour of East High the next day. She didn't want to be a boring teacher so she wanted them to get up and walk around. She smiled as Summer walked her down the drama hallway. She had a bubbly personality and her bangles on her wrist bounced against each other each time she clapped her hands together when she got excited. Ms. Montez peered into a room that looked like a science lab. No students were inside, only a teacher at the front desk. A teacher who looked very familiar.

"Students, stay out here and listen to Summer tell you about the newest performances. I'll be right back." She said as she walked into the room where the teacher was sitting. She smiled as she realized who the dark skinned teacher was.

"Taylor?" She asked.

The women lifted her red pen away from the paper she was grading and the seriousness that had just been painted over her face turned into a mega-watt smile.

"Gabriella?!" She asked as she stood up from her desk and walked towards Ms. Montez.

"That's me!" Gabriella said as she turned around in a circle, smiling.

"It's so great to see you! What are you doing here?" She asked.

"I teach here now. My class is giving me a tour of the school and I saw you in here." She explained.

Taylor looked into the hallway where she saw Gabriella's class.

"As if you need one." She said with a laugh.

"They don't know that." Gabriella said as she smiled mischievously.

"You have a good group of kids." Taylor noticed.

"East High is definitely not the same now. The kids are separated again." Gabriella said somewhat sadly as she looked out at her class. They were all standing with their hips cocked or their arms crossed as they listened to Summer's lecture.

"Yeah, they have definitely separated into their groups again, but what can you do?" Taylor said with a sigh.

"It's too bad." Gabriella said, shaking her head. "I better get back to my class before Summer kills them with more facts."

"She gets it from Sharpay. She's a walking replica of her." Taylor said, looking out into the hallway.

"Sharpay's here?" Gabriella cried in excitement.

"Yeah she's the theatre director. Summer spends every free minute with her." Taylor explained.

"But Summer said the director was…" Gabriella gasped and smiled hugely. "She married Zeke didn't she?" She asked.

"Right after high school." Taylor said, nodding.

Gabriella couldn't believe it. Well, she could believe Sharpay and Zeke got married, but she couldn't believe that Sharpay came back. Gabriella thought she was headed straight for Broadway after high school graduation.

"Ms. Montez! Please save us from this lecture!" C cried.

"I'm coming, I'm coming." She said with a laugh. "I'll see you later."

"I'll eat with you in the lounge when lunch comes around." Taylor said as she walked back behind her desk.

"Okay!" Gabriella said cheerfully.

Outside in the hallway Carl, Blake, Zac, and the other basketball players were kicking a piece of crumpled up paper around on the ground while the cheerleaders sat and watched as they leaned against the wall. Gabi was trying to listen to Summer as she held her head up with her hand that was resting on her crossed arm.

"Okay, Summer. Thank you so much for that great lesson. I guess now we're heading back to class." Ms. Montez said.

"Finally." Zac said with a groan.

Ms. Montez observed the class as they walked quietly back to class. Everyone was in a group except Gabi. There was a point though when Blake was walking faster then his basketball friends and he was walking next to Gabi who seemed to be holding back her smile. Ms. Montez smiled and remembered being the new girl in school. The girl who walked alone in the hallways until someone finally started to walk next to her. She didn't want to remember those times though. She just wanted to teach her class the best she could and she would do that with ease. At least she hoped she would. As the class sat back down in their seats, Ms. Montez pulled out some parent contact information sheets. She passed them out and gave one to each student. The class was quiet as everyone filled the sheets out. An occasional sigh or pencil tap was the only sound that was heard for the first ten minutes. The bell rang and it vibrated through the classroom. Students packed up their backpacks and handed the papers to Ms. Montez as they left the room. Blake was the last to get up from his desk and he didn't hand the paper immediately over to Ms. Montez when he got to the door.

"I put the information on there but you won't be able to get a hold of my dad." He said.

"I'm sure it won't be a problem. I'm pretty good at talking to parents."

"Well I can barely get a hold of my dad on a regular basis and I'm his son. But if you think you can, have fun trying." He said as he started for the door.

"Blake…" Ms. Montez started.

"Yeah?" He asked as he turned around swiftly.

"Why can't I get a hold of your parents?" She asked.

"I don't have a mom… she died when I was born." He said calmly.

"I'm sorry." Ms. Montez apologized for bringing up an awkward subject.

"Don't be." He said with a smile. "Oh and my dad is in L.A. most of the time. He plays for the Lakers. I go to East High to carry out the family tradition and I lived with C while I'm here." He explained freely.

"Okay, thanks for telling me." Ms. Montez said with a smile.

Blake nodded and headed to his next class and as Ms. Montez looked down at the paper he had just turned in, her heart stopped and she froze. The name next to the contact number flashed in her memory like a sign lit up in New York City. Troy Bolton.

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**OOH! Troy Bolton! Review! **

**Much love,**

**unknownbyhim22**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you, thank you, thank you! I love all of your reviews! I'm so happy that you like this story! Enjoy chapter three!**

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Back at East High

Chapter three

A light breeze blew through the open window of Ms. Montez's classroom as the class worked on a reading level test. Ms. Montez watched the class when she was done taking attendance and correcting some papers that had been turned in earlier. She couldn't help but laugh quietly as she looked over at Summer. She was looking up at the ceiling as if it was going to give her the answers to the test. Mackenzie, the girl sitting next to Gabi, was bopping her head like she was listening to a rock song and Gabi was sitting at her desk, reading a book because she was done with her test. Blake was rolling his pencil on his desk as he tried to concentrate on his test and C was checking his answers. The classroom erupted with chatter when everyone was done with their test and Ms. Montez had to practically shout to quiet them down.

"That's enough, class…" She said loudly. The talking simmered down to whispers as people finished their conversations and everyone turned to look at the front of the classroom again. "Today I was thinking about giving you an essay to write for homework tonight but instead I'd like to get a few groups together so we can start group projects."

The class groaned and asked to have the essay instead, but Ms. Montez shook her head and started to talk.

"It's not a hard project. It's just a way to get to know each other." She explained.

"Can we pick our groups?" Summer asked.

"No, because if you pick your groups you'll pick people you already know and that's not the point of the assignment. Don't worry, it'll be fun."

"For you." C mumbled.

"Well C, since you and Summer agree on the so-called unfairness of this project, you can be partners." Ms. Montez said strongly, letting everyone know that she was serious about this.

The look of shock that formed on C and Summer's faces made the whole class laugh, including Ms. Montez.

"Are you serious?" Summer asked in complete awe.

"Ooh, I'm so serious. So who's being paired next? Let's see…" Ms. Montez scanned the room.

Each student seemed to be sinking lower and lower in their chairs, hoping they wouldn't be picked next. Ms. Montez already knew who she was pairing up but she liked the deer caught in the headlights look she was getting from the students.

"Mackenzie and Zac, you're partners."

"What?!" Mackenzie cried as she put her head in her hands.

"Blake and Gabi, you'll be doing this assignment together." Ms. Montez announced.

The reaction that came from the class was almost mean. As Blake turned to look at Gabi the girls gasped and the boys groaned for Blake. Blake only shrugged and Gabi just sighed. There was no comment made on the pairing. It was almost like the class assumed it would happen, like they've seen it happen before.

"So is everyone happy with this?" Ms. Montez asked when she was done pairing everyone up.

"No!"

"This is ridiculous!"

"I refuse to work with him!"

"There's no way."

"He doesn't even dance!"

"Well too bad because this is how it's staying." Ms. Montez said with a smile. "Since we only have about ten minutes we can have a class discussion if you want."

"On what?" C asked.

"How about… your favorite colors."

"We're going to have a class discussion on color?" Zac asked.

"Yeah…"

"Awesome! It's like my second favorite subject!" Summer said as she clapped her hands together. "My favorite color is pink!"

"Mine too!" The girls sitting around her said.

"Pink reminds me of gum." Mackenzie announced. "I like green."

"Me too." Zac said with a smile.

"See! You have something in common." Ms. Montez said happily.

Zac and Mackenzie groaned and rolled their eyes.

"What's your favorite color?" Summer asked.

"I like blue." Ms. Montez answered.

"Why do you like _blue_? How did you come to liking such a boy color?" Summer asked.

"Well, it's not just a boy color." Ms. Montez said with a laugh.

"But still." Summer said she shivered as if she had just seen a ghost.

"I liked a boy with blue eyes in high school. I guess I just liked blue after seeing his eyes." Ms. Montez explained awkwardly.

She blinked away the sudden sight she was seeing form in her mind. But when she thought the picture of those eyes were gone, she saw them starring back at her again. Blake had the Bolton's signature crystal blue eyes.

"That's so romantic!" Summer shouted.

"If you say so." Ms. Montez laughed.

"What kind of blue were they?" Summer asked.

"Crystal blue. It was like you were looking into a clear ocean."

"Ugh…" The boys sighed in annoyance of the sudden girl talk.

"What time is it?" Carl asked randomly trying to avoid the topic.

"It's time to go. See you tomorrow everyone." Ms. Montez said. "Bring a snack for tomorrow. We'll go outside for the project."

When all the students left the classroom, Ms. Montez walked down the hallway and towards the theatre. A few students smiled at her or said hi as they passed and when she heard upbeat music playing she stopped and looked through the auditorium doors. She saw a skinny blonde walking around on stage directing a man who was carrying costumes towards a rack of dresses. She laughed as she walked up the stage stairs.

"Hey, Sharpay." She said as she stepped onto the familiar stage.

Sharpay turned and so did the man, who seemed to be Ryan. They both gasped and Ryan dropped the costumes he was holding on the floor.

"Gabriella Montez, get over here and give me a hug!" Sharpay said happily.

Gabriella hugged Sharpay and laughed as Ryan hugged her too. They were both color coordinated as usual and their clothes shimmered from the lights shinning onto the stage.

"You two look great." Gabriella complemented.

"You look like you're twenty still!" Sharpay smiled.

"Ooh, no way." Gabriella laughed.

"So where have you been?" Sharpay asked. "I thought you weren't coming back."

"I was taking more college courses. Of course I was coming back! I wouldn't leave you all here at East High alone. Something could go seriously wrong without me here." Gabriella joked.

"Other than the fact that the kids aren't all in this together anymore, nothing has gone wrong yet." Ryan said, nodding.

"I was talking to Taylor about that too. I can't believe we all worked so hard on getting everyone together and it's all back to how it used to be." Gabriella complained again.

"Well, enough about that… how's everything?" Sharpay asked.

"Everything is good. Nothing too exciting, but I heard you married Zeke!" Gabriella exclaimed.

"Yes, I did." Sharpay said as she held her hand out to show Gabriella the ring.

The ring was huge. It had a few pink diamonds around the square cut diamond in the middle and it sparkled even more than Sharpay's outfit.

"That thing is a rock!" Gabriella couldn't help say.

"That's exactly what I said." Sharpay laughed.

"I wish I could stay and talk but I have to get back to my class."

"I'll talk to you at lunch." Sharpay said as she waved goodbye.

She quickly turned back to ordering Ryan around when Gabriella left. Gabriella smiled as she passed Sharpay's pink locker that still remained in good condition, the pink paint was the same color of the car that Sharpay drove around when she was in high school. Sharpay still had a pink car, it was just a lighter shade of pink and the license plate had 'FAB TEACH' on it instead of 'FABULOUS.' The hallway became silent when the bell rang obnoxiously.

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**Not much to this chapter, but we saw Ryan and Sharpay! Yay! Well, review and we'll see how those group projects go...**

**Much love,**

**unknownbyhim22**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey everyone! I'm not sure if I'm just starting to confuse you all or what with this story... Gabi, Blake, Summer, C, and Zac all resemble someone from when Troy and Gabriella went to school... Gabriella (Ms. Montez), Taylor, Sharpay, Ryan, and Chad all work at East High... Troy is not there obviously... you'll see him later... Okay, tell me if you're still confused... Here's chapter four! Enjoy!**

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Back at East High

Chapter four

Ms. Montez was waiting for the class to find their seats and while she waited for the final bell to ring, she wrote a few due dates on the green chalk board. A few clouds covered the sky outside but it didn't look like it would rain anytime soon so Ms. Montez decided she would still let the class work on their project outside. She led them outside and they sat on the bright green grass that tickled their legs. Gabi timidly sat down next to Blake who was getting a piece of paper out of his binder. Each group brought a few snacks to eat during the interviews with their partners; Gabi brought green grapes and Blake brought a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

"Just follow your questions on the sheet I gave you and you'll do fine." Ms. Montez said as she walked around and observed the groups.

"So you're Gabi?" Blake asked as he wrote on his paper.

"Yeah, and you're Blake Bolton." Gabi said as she wrote his name down on her paper.

"Yup." He said as he read the next question on the blue piece of paper to himself.

"Who's your hero and why?" Gabi asked him.

"My dad is my hero. When he puts his mind to something he goes out and gets it." He explained.

"Okay…" She said as she continued to write his answer on her paper.

"What's your favorite color?" Blake asked.

"Blue." Gabi answered.

"Don't tell me you like blue because of someone's eyes." Blake asked, mocking Ms. Montez.

Gabi looked at him and rolled her eyes.

"Blue is the color of the sky and water… so I like it." She explained.

"Okay, well, mine's blue too." He said with a smile.

"What is your favorite sport?" Gabi asked.

"Do you really have to ask?" Blake asked, but continued. "Basketball."

"I wonder why?" She said quietly as she wrote down his answer.

"What's your favorite sport?" He asked.

"I don't have one." She said honestly.

"Are you serious?"

"I never liked sports. I don't even know the difference between a basketball and a football."

"That's horrible." Blake said shaking his head.

"To you maybe, but I can live without sports." She answered.

Blake and Gabi continued to ask each other questions, and when they were done they started to write their essays. Gabi was lying on her stomach and Blake was leaning on his right elbow and he was facing Gabi. He took the opportunity to steal a few grapes from Gabi's bag when she was looking down at her paper and he put one in his mouth as he continued to write. When it was quiet and Gabi was almost done with her essay she felt something bounce off of her arm. A green grape fell onto her paper and she flicked it off so she could continue to write. She felt it again and she looked up to see Blake look away quickly.

"Can you not throw grapes at me?" She asked.

"Sorry, you looked so serious." He admitted.

"I'm thinking." She answered.

"Okay, sorry."

"That's fine."

"So why are you so quiet?" Blake asked as he lay down next to her.

"I'm not." She answered.

"This is the first time I've heard you talk this year." He said.

"Well, I guess you missed it when I said that speech in English yesterday."

"You said a speech? Was I sleeping?" He asked.

"No, I was joking." She said as she looked down at her paper.

"Oh." He said. "So what do you like to do?" He asked.

Gabi sighed, put her paper in her white binder, and closed it because she knew she wouldn't get anything done with Blake Bolton and his crystal blue eyes sitting next to her.

"Well, I liked being on the Scholastic Decathlon team, but, thanks to your basketball team, I can't do that anymore." She said slightly harshly.

"It's not my fault only three people signed up." He defended himself.

"I wish everything was back to how it used to be." She said.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"I heard stories about East High from a long time ago. Everyone got along and everyone participated." She said.

"My dad went to East High and he was the one who changed how the status quo was." Blake informed her.

"Troy Bolton is your dad?" She asked.

"Yup." He said with a smile.

"I loved listening to the stories about this school. My friend's mom always told me about it." Gabi said with a smile.

"My dad told me about it, too. I thought he was crazy when he told me the basketball players dated the Scholastic Decathlon girls and the theatre performers dated the skaters and cooks."

"Yeah, it's surprising that Scholastic Decathlon girls date, huh?" She asked. Her voice was hard and surprised.

"I didn't mean it like that." Blake quickly added.

"Yeah…" Gabi said quietly.

"You know, my dad was in love with a girl on the Scholastic Decathlon team." He said nodding. "I forgot her name, but he used to tell me about her."

"Wasn't it Gabriella?" She asked.

"Yeah. Gabriella…" He remembered.

"Montez." They said at the same time.

They nodded and then stopped and thought about it for a minute. Gabi raised her eyebrow and Blake quickly looked at her.

"Ms. Montez!" They both whispered as they looked at each other. Their hearts were both pounding as they lay on the smooth grass.

"Yes?" They heard a voice say.

They both screamed unaware of anyone else at the time. They were in the middle of realizing the truth behind Ms. Montez and the sudden interruption by no other than her herself scared them.

"Um… nothing. We weren't talking about anything." Blake said with a quick smile.

"Okay… if you need anything you know where to find me." Ms. Montez said as she eyed them both suspiciously.

"Okay." Gabi said with a laugh that she completely faked.

As Blake and Gabi watched Ms. Montez walk off, they breathed a sigh of relief and looked at each other again.

"She can't be." Gabi said quietly.

"I don't know. Maybe she is." Blake said back.

"I'll research her on the computer when I get home and see if I can find any information on Gabriella Montez." Gabi said as she searched her brain for anything that might give her a clue on who Ms. Montez really was.

"Okay, and I'll try to talk to my dad." Blake said nodding.

"Good idea." Gabi complemented.

"I can see why my dad fell in love with her. You know, if she is the real Gabriella Montez. She is pretty if you think about it." Blake said as he watched Ms. Montez explain something to C.

"Yeah, she is." Gabi agreed.

As Gabi looked at Blake, who was still looking at Ms. Montez, she couldn't help but want the same thing to happen between her and Blake that happened between Troy and Gabriella. Now all she needed was a karaoke machine and the courage to actually talk to Blake some other time other than in class. But for now she just watched him from the back of the classroom, wishing he would just turn around and smile at her.

Gabi's thoughts were interrupted by a huge rumble of thunder and a thin line of lightening that struck in the sky. Soft rain drops started to fall softly before getting faster and harder as the class ran back into East High. Summer was screaming because her hair was getting wet and C was mocking her as he screamed like a girl. Gabriella had her binder above her head, trying to keep the rain off of her and Blake opened the door for her as she ran inside.

Ms. Montez only laughed at the students as they came back into the class room wet and angry. She dismissed them from class and she shut the window that was open in her classroom. Small puddles of water were forming on the windowsill and they looked like clear pebbles dropped carelessly on the wooden ledge.

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**Like it? Confused? Hate it? Review!**

**Much love,**

**unknownbyhim22**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey! Sorry that I didn't update sooner. My internet wasn't working. In this chapter, Blake and Gabriella do some investigating on Ms. Montez (Gabriella). Enjoy!**

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Back at East High

Chapter five

The class was taking notes as Ms. Montez refreshed their minds on the parts of speech. She was walking up and down the rows explaining what was written on the overhead projector. The information she wrote so perfectly in colorful markers was now projected onto the chalk board and she made sure everyone was doing what they were supposed to be doing. A knock on the door was heard and the class looked over at the door which was now opening. A dark skinned man walked in and he had a whistle around his neck and workout clothes on that had the Wildcat logo printed on it. Ms. Montez looked at him and he smiled his normal smile. His hair wasn't as big as it was in high school, but it was still a curly mess.

"Hey, can I talk to Blake for a minute? It's just about basketball." Chad asked.

"Sure. Blake, you can go with Mr. Danforth." Ms. Montez said with a smile.

"Okay, thanks." He said as he got up and walked into the hallway.

After a quick talk about basketball practice, Mr. Danforth let Blake go back to his note- taking. Before Blake went in the classroom though, he wanted to ask the coach something first.

"Hey, Coach…" Blake said quickly before Chad could leave.

"What's up?" He asked.

"Do you know Ms. Montez? You know, from high school?" Blake asked.

Blake remembered his dad telling him about Chad in high school. They were best friends, until they graduated, and after that they stopped talking.

"No. I don't remember a Montez." Chad answered.

"Okay, just wondering." Blake said as he headed towards the door.

"Blake…"

"Yeah?" He asked.

"Don't be getting into anyone's business that is not yours to get involved in, okay?" Chad warned.

"I'm not. I promise." Blake lied.

Chad walked away without another word and Blake knew he remembered Ms. Montez. But why he denied it was still a mystery to him. Blake was at his locker putting his math book away as he whistled random tones. Gabi walked over to him and smiled as he shut his locker.

"So I did some research on Ms. Montez." Gabi said to him.

"What did you find out? Walk with me." He said as he began to walk down the hallway. Gabi followed and held her books to her chest as she walked next to Blake, picking up her pace just to keep up.

"Well, there's more than one Ms. Montez here in Albuquerque. I just don't know if Ms. Montez is even Gabriella." Gabi explained.

"I have a feeling she is." Blake said.

"There's no evidence." Gabi pointed out.

"I was looking through my dad's high school year book last night and there is this picture of my dad and a group of kids. See, my dad told me about his friends and how they were all in different groups and I think the kids in the picture are our teachers." Blake explained.

"What do you mean 'our teachers'?" Gabi asked as she became gradually confused.

"There was this blonde girl and her twin brother standing next to my dad; I looked at the girl closely and she wears the same music note necklace that Mrs. Baylor wears. The only difference is that she was Ms. Evans then. She must have got married. And her brother is definitely the musical choreographer."

"Are you sure?" Gabi asked.

"I'm almost positive. I should have known they were the people my dad talked about along time ago." Blake said.

"Then what about the rest of the group?" Gabi asked.

"My basketball coach used to be my dad's best friend, I'm assuming. He has the afro like the guy in the picture." Blake continued. "And Mrs. Danforth is, well, was Gabriella's best friend. The picture explains it all. Then there are the messages everyone wrote to my dad in his yearbook. It says a lot."

"Do you have the yearbook with you?" Gabi asked.

"Yeah, actually I do." Blake said as he pulled his backpack off of his shoulder and unzipped the pocket. He pulled out a red and gold yearbook and flipped through a few pages to get to a piece of paper that was marking the page. He handed the yearbook to Gabi and her eyes widened when she saw the picture.

"They look perfect." She said as she brushed her finger over the smooth picture that was printed in black and white.

"I know." Blake said as he looked over her shoulder to look at the picture again.

"It has to be them." Gabi said. "I don't know who else would be."

"Let's hope my dad comes to the parent teacher conference. Maybe he can talk to Ms. Montez then." Blake said.

"Hopefully it's a good reunion." Gabi said as she handed the book back to him.

"Let's keep it between us though. I don't want everyone knowing about this yet. At least not until we know for sure." Blake said.

"Okay." Gabi nodded.

"Do you need a ride home?" He asked.

"No, I'm fine. I'll just wait for the bus." She said.

"There's no way I'm letting you ride the bus home." Blake said with a smile.

"I don't want to bother you. The bus isn't that bad."

"You won't be bothering me, I promise." Blake said.

"If you insist." Gabi caved.

"Okay. Let's go." Blake said as he walked out of the school.

Gabi sat quietly in the front seat of Blake's red sports car and she squinted as a ray of sun fell upon her. She pulled down the shield and it blocked the sun from her chocolate brown eyes. She looked at some CDs and she laughed at the name of one of the CDs. It was written in permanent marker and the title read 'Twinkle Town.'

"That's a really weird title for a CD." Gabi said with a laugh as she pulled the CD out of its spot and inspected it.

"That's the soundtrack for the musical my dad was in." Blake explained.

"We should listen to it." Gabi said.

"Put it in." Blake said as he nodded to where CDs were inserted.

Gabi put the CD in and the first song started off slowly. It started with a guy singing and then a girl. Gabi assumed it was Mr. Bolton and Ms. Montez as she listened to the two voices mend perfectly together. She smiled at Blake, who smiled back. The ride wasn't too awkward since they were just listening to the CD the entire time and they didn't have to talk.

"I'll see you tonight, maybe, if you're at the conferences." Gabi said as she got out of the car.

"Yeah, I'll be there." Blake said.

"Thanks for the ride. It was much better than the bus." Gabi said as she laughed quickly.

"I knew it would be." Blake said with a smile.

"Bye." Gabi said as she closed the door.

Blake honked the horn twice and pulled out of the driveway. Gabi smiled and walked into her house to get ready to go to the conferences that her parents always insisted on going to. For some reason Gabi found herself making sure she looked perfect before she left the house. She knew a blue-eyed Bolton would be there and she didn't want to be Geeky Gabi anymore. She sprayed one last spray of perfume on her tan wrist and walked out of her house.

* * *

**Like it? Review!**

**I would just like to tell everyone that we will not be figuring out who Blake's mom is... later on you'll know when/why it happened, but that's it. If you want to pretend it's like a Cheetah Girl or some random chick in your mind, you're welcome to. :) In the next chapter it's the parent-teacher confrences! EVERYONE will be there...**

**Much love,**

**unknownbyhim22**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey! Thanks for all of the reviews! Sorry that I didn't update sooner, my internet wasn't working! I really like this chapter. :) I hope you do too. **

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Back at East High

Chapter six

The school parking lot was filled with cars, and parents were coming in and out of the school though the hallway was quiet when Gabi and her parents walked in. Most people were sitting in chairs waiting their turn to meet with their kid's teacher. Gabi never went in the room when her parents talked to her teachers but she always went to the conferences anyway. It was a good time to do homework or just walk around school without having to push past people just to get to the other side of the building. The clock said it was 6:30 P.M. and it ticked by quickly as each minute went by. Gabi walked down the hallway when her parents disappeared into Ms. Montez's classroom and she stopped at a showcase that had pictures of sports teams and musical performances. She hummed the song that she heard that evening while she was riding home with Blake and she started singing it as she walked away from the showcase and towards the auditorium. She walked back towards Ms. Montez's classroom and her parents were in the hallway waiting for her. No more parents were in the hallway, most of them had already gone home.

As Gabi walked out of the school, she saw Blake sitting on the hallway floor looking at his cell phone. She quickly told her parents she would meet them at home and she walked over to Blake and sat down. He looked at her and smiled as he shut his phone.

"So is your dad here yet?" Gabi asked.

"Nope. He probably won't even come." He said as if it didn't bug him, but Gabi knew it did.

"I'm sure he'll be here." Gabi reassured him.

"Look around, Gabs, no one is here anymore." He said.

Gabi smiled at the fact that he called her 'Gabs.'

"Well, he can't use the excuse he forgot where East High is because he went here. You can hold that against him if that's his excuse." Gabi commented.

"It's not like he has anything to be proud of coming here. I barely passed English this quarter." Blake explained.

"I'm sure he's proud of you for other reasons." Gabi said.

"He's not even around to see things to be proud of." Blake said.

"It must be hard being a Lakers player's son." Gabi assumed.

"It's lonely, I guess, but I have C to hang out with."

"That's good."

They both turned their gaze over to the hallway doors that were opening. A tall, shaggy- haired man was walking down the hallway towards them.

"That's my dad." Blake whispered as he stood up.  
"He looks exactly like you!" Gabi whispered back as she stood up as well.

Blake laughed quietly and took a few steps forward.

"Hey, Dad." Blake said with a smile.

"Hey, son." Mr. Bolton said as he hugged Blake.

"Dad, please." Blake said quietly.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to embarrass you." He said with a laugh.

He looked at Gabi and smiled. Gabi glanced at Blake who didn't seem like he was going to introduce her anytime soon.

"Hi, Mr. Bolton. I'm Gabi. A friend of Blake." She said as she stuck her hand out for him to shake it.

"Nice to meet you." Mr. Bolton said as he shook her hand firmly. His hand completely surrounded her hand and she laughed slightly. "Well, I'll be out soon. I'm going in this classroom right?" He asked.

"Yeah. That's the one." Blake said.

"English, right?" He asked.

"Yeah."

"Okay, see you soon." Mr. Bolton said as he walked in the classroom.

Ms. Montez was erasing her name from the chalkboard when she heard the door to her classroom open. She turned around to see who it was and if she wouldn't have had her hand on the chalkboard she would have probably fainted. Troy Bolton and those crystal blue eyes were staring at her. She was wearing a red shirt and a black skirt with black pointed shoes. She tried to smile but could only muster a small grin.

"Sorry I'm so late. I just got off a plane an hour ago." He apologized.

"That's fine; you can sit down in that desk if you want to." Ms. Montez said as she pointed to the desk Blake sat in.

Troy walked over to the desk and squeezed into it as he sat down.

"I don't fit in these desks like I used to." Troy said with a laugh.

"I don't think any of us do." Ms. Montez said with a smile.

"Okay, so how's my son doing in this class?" Troy asked.

"He's barely passing." Ms. Montez said honestly. "He fails assignments that he does on his own, but when he is partnered up he aces them. Since I don't do a lot of partner projects, his grade is slipping." She explained.

"That's definitely not good for his basketball career." Troy said shaking his head.

"Mr. Bolton, this isn't about basketball. It's about how he's failing English." Ms. Montez said as she handed him a progress report of Blake's work.

"What can he do to raise his grade?" He asked.

"I was thinking he could get a tutor. I can work out a schedule with him so he won't miss basketball practice." Ms. Montez suggested.

"Sounds good." He said. Ms. Montez was quiet as she nodded her head. "So how has Blake been lately? Is he doing fine emotionally and stuff?" He asked.

"Mr. Bolton, I wouldn't know. He seems to be fine, why?" She asked.

"I don't want him to suffer because of me. Since I'm away for basketball a lot." He explained.

"Can't you take some time off for a while? Just to spend some time with him?" Ms. Montez asked.

"That's definitely not an option. I know it's what I should do, but it's difficult. You wouldn't understand." He said.

"Oh, I understand perfectly, Troy." Ms Montez said as she raised her eyebrow defensively.

Troy looked at her closely and squinted quickly. He leaned forward and furrowed his brow.

"Gabriella?" He asked.

Ms. Montez sighed and walked back to her desk chair. She sat down, made a pile of papers even, clipped them with a paper clip, and put them in her top right drawer. Troy stood up and walked towards the door since there was nothing else that needed to be said. He pushed down on the door handle and Ms. Montez looked up at him.

"Chad's in the gym if you want to say hi to him." She said as she looked down again, at a paper that she was starting to correct.

Troy turned away from the door and looked at Ms. Montez. She didn't look at him, but she knew he was looking at her. She could feel the gaze of his ocean blue eyes fall upon her. He shut the door behind him when he left and he stood in the hallway, alone, thinking about who he had just seen after not seeing her for eighteen years. Blake wasn't in the hallway anymore and neither was Gabi. Troy shook his head and walked toward the gym. Sure enough, Chad was there. He was picking up basketballs and putting them on a silver rack that was pushed up against the bleachers. Troy stood in the doorway for a minute and then he finally walked toward Chad.

Chad twirled a basketball in between his hands when he saw Troy and he smiled, even though he didn't want to. Troy had his hands in his pocket and he stopped when he was a few feet away from Chad.

"What brings you here?" Chad asked casually.

"Parent teacher conferences." Troy explained with a small nod.

"First one?" Chad asked.

"Pretty much." Troy said as a pang of guilt rushed through his body.

"So how's basketball?" Chad asked as he tried to make small talk.

"It's good. Time consuming, I guess." Troy answered.

"I bet. You know, being the best basketball player in the West coast and all." Chad said with a small laugh.

"Look, Chad, I just wanted to say hi. I didn't come to argue." Troy said politely.

"Well, it was great seeing you. Maybe when eighteen more years come around we can grab some lunch or something." Chad said sarcastically as he continued to put the basketballs away.

Troy turned around and walked back toward the gym doors, knowing that it was a good time to leave.

"Hey Troy!" Chad called after him.

"Yeah?" He called back.

"Who told you I was in here?" Chad asked.

"Gabriella did." Troy simply replied.

Troy didn't see Chad's expression but he knew that if he had it wouldn't have been a smile. Troy opened the gym door and two small children ran past him; they excitedly ran toward Chad. Taylor was standing, facing Troy, as he walked out and she just smiled. He smiled and she walked past him and toward Chad and the two kids.

"Kids, don't jump on your father like that!" She called after them as she ran toward them and scooped up the smallest one, making her laugh.

Troy watched them from the small window that looked into the gym and he saw Taylor give Chad a kiss as they both held one of their kid's hands, walking toward the other exit that lead to the teacher's parking lot.

Troy walked out of East High for what he hoped was the last time. This recent experience made him tired, sad, and mad all at the same time. He saw Blake's car, but there was no sign of him anywhere. He decided he would meet him at home as he sat down in the leather seat of his red sports car.

Blake and Gabi were walking by the side of the school. They had just been spying on Blake's dad and Ms. Montez through the classroom window and they were walking back inside. The halls were quiet and no one was left in the school as Blake and Gabi walked towards Ms. Montez's room.

Ms. Montez was packing her bags up with un-graded papers and as she finished, she started to write the assignments on the board for the next day. When she heard the door open, she didn't turn to see who it was. She was expecting Taylor to come in to tell her that she was making a huge mistake by letting Troy leave again, and she imagined her answer being something like how it was in high school. She found her team, he found his, and so on. But she heard Blake instead of Taylor.

"Hey, Ms. Montez, did my dad leave already?" He asked.

"Yeah, he did." She said without looking up from the board.

"Okay, see you tomorrow." He said. Ms. Montez heard him talking to someone and she saw that it was Gabi as they both walked out of the classroom together. She smiled as she wondered why Gabi was still at school, but what girl wouldn't stay with a Bolton?

"I wonder if he went home." Blake said as he walked to his car.

"Probably." Gabi said. "Um… Blake, my parents already left. Do you think you can drive me home? Sorry, I'm bothering you again."

"You're not bothering me. I'll drive you home whenever you need me to." He said with a smile.

"Did you notice Ms. Montez?" Gabi asked.

"Um… yeah, she was standing right in front of me." Blake said slightly confused.

"She was crying." Gabi said.

"No she wasn't." Blake said.

"I can't believe you didn't notice." Gabi said.

"Was she crying hard? Why was she crying?"

"I don't know why she was crying, but if I was Gabriella Montez seeing Troy Bolton after eighteen years, I would be crying too." Gabi said becoming concerned for Ms. Montez.

"Why would she be crying, though? It's not like anything bad happened." Blake said.

"You don't know that for sure." Gabi pointed out as she buckled her seat belt.

"This is starting to get complicated." Blake said as he made a left out of the school parking lot.

"Tell me about it." Gabi said with a sigh.

They were quiet for a minute as they thought about the old East High. Gabi didn't notice that she was continuously opening and closing the window and she stopped when she heard Blake laugh.

"Are you laughing at me?" Gabi asked with a grin.

"Maybe." He replied as he quickly looked at her and then back at the road.

Gabi laughed and looked out the window at the dark night sky.

"Thanks for hanging out with me during the conferences." Blake said after a moment of silence.

"It was fun." Gabi said with a smile.

"It was. You know, I didn't really think you could be fun… since you're so quiet in class; but I was wrong." He said honestly.

"Well, there's a lot more about me that you don't know. I guess you'll have to figure it all out another time, though." Gabi said as the car pulled into her driveway.

"I guess I will." He said with a smile as he put his car in park.

"Thanks for driving me." She said as she opened the car door.

"No problem. See you tomorrow." He said with a smile.

"Okay, bye." She said as she closed the car door.

As Blake drove to his house, he listened to his dad's Twinkle Town CD and he laughed as he thought about Gabi. He parked in his driveway, next to his dad's car and walked into his house. He only stayed in his house when his dad was home and the rest of the time he was at C's house. Occasionally, when C's parents were getting tired of the constant mess of the house, he would go home for while, but he didn't like living alone. It was too much like being his dad. And being like his dad was definitely not what he wanted to be like.

When Blake went inside, he could hear the sound of the shower running and he walked upstairs to his room. He threw on a white T-shirt and a pair of red basketball shorts that had the Wildcat logo on it. He was sitting at his computer IMing his friends when his dad came in.

"Shouldn't you be studying or something?" Troy asked.

"I don't have any homework today or a test this week." Blake said as he turned in his chair.

"I heard you're barely passing English." He said as he looked at one of Blake's basketball trophies that were placed on a shelf by the door.

"I just don't do good when I do essays and papers by myself." He explained.

"Your teacher suggested that you get a tutor." Troy told his son.

"What?" Blake asked.

"She said she can work out a schedule so you won't have to miss basketball."

"That's so stupid." Blake complained.

"I'm sure that girl you were with… what's her name?" Troy asked.

"Gabi."

"I'm sure Gabi could help you."

"If it'll help my grade, then fine." Blake said.

Troy smiled and leaned up against the desk that Blake was sitting at.

"So do you like her?" Troy asked.

"Dad. No." Blake said

"There's no reason to deny it." Troy said.

"Dad, we're in completely different social classes." Blake explained.

"That never stopped anyone else before."

"It didn't stop anyone when you went to school. But East High is different now, Dad." Blake

explained.

"I guess you're right." Troy said as he walked toward the door. "Goodnight, son." He said.

"Hey dad…" Blake called after his dad.

"Yeah?" He asked.

"What did you think of my teacher?" He asked.

"She was great." Troy nodded.

"Wasn't Gabriella's last name Montez?" Blake asked him.

"Yeah, but that's not her if that's what you're trying to get at." Troy said.

"Are you sure because she…" He started.

"Blake, that's enough. Goodnight." Troy said as he left the room.

Blake shook his head and turned back to his computer.

Troy walked into his closet and pulled out a box that was on his top shelf. It was covered by a red jacket and it has a thin layer of dust that could be seen perfectly on the fabric. He hadn't looked at it for a while and he thought that it would be a good time to. He opened the lid carefully and a red and white pom was on the top. He moved his letterman jacket and pulled out a few yearbooks and pictures. He picked up the trophy that he won from senior year. It was for being the MVP of the team and he remembered that day perfectly. As he set the trophy down and looked at a picture of him and Gabriella, that night started to play in his mind.

_The team was standing by Coach Bolton who was standing behind the podium talking about the team's accomplishments at the basketball banquet. Gabriella and Mrs. Bolton were sitting at a round table that had a crème table cloth placed perfectly on top of it. The people around them were the other parents of Chad, Zeke, and Jason. They were all smiling and nodding their heads as they listened to Coach Bolton. Gabriella smiled at Troy who was looking at her from his spot in the front. He had black pants on and a blue button down shirt that brought out those crystal blue eyes that Gabriella loved so much. She was wearing a black dress that fell slightly above her knees and black flats._

_She was crossing her fingers that were placed patiently in her lap as Coach Bolton gave out honorable awards. She smiled as Coach Bolton talked about the MVP award. _

_"Our team voted for the player that everyone agreed on was the most valuable player. He wasn't just a good player, but he was always the one that the team relied on to be there. He was the one that the boys could talk to and trust. So I am very proud to announce that the most valuable player for his last high school season is my son, Troy Bolton." _

_Gabriella clapped loudly as she watched her boyfriend walk toward his dad and accept the trophy. She smiled as Mrs. Bolton squeezed her hand gently and they both smiled at each other excitedly. _

_When the ceremony was over, Gabriella was scanning the room to find Troy, but instead of finding him, he found her. He hugged her from behind and she laughed as she turned around to face him. His blue eyes still made her melt even though she saw them everyday. But today they looked different. They looked bluer, as if it was even possible, and they looked happier, more content. _

_"Congratulations, MVP." Gabriella said as she kissed him gently on the lips. _

_"You know I love you, right?" He asked her as he pulled her in closer._

_"You know I love you more, right?" She asked him._

_"I don't think that's possible." He said._

_Gabriella giggled and kissed him again._

_"Let's go for a walk." He said._

_"Okay." She smiled._

_They walked out of the country club's doors and they both remembered the summer they spent there in eleventh grade. They walked along the golf course and Troy looked over at Gabriella who glowed in the moonlight. _

_"I love you, you know that?" He asked again._

_"Yes, Troy, I know. And I love you too." She said as she squeezed his hand that was entwined with hers. _

_"You know that I would never want to hurt you, right? And that I will love you forever, no matter what?" He asked._

_Gabriella stopped and Troy stopped too. _

_"What are you trying to get to, Troy?" She asked._

_"I don't really know how to tell you this and I don't even know if this is the right time…" He started._

_"Are you breaking up with me?" She asked as she removed her hand from his. She furrowed her brow and looked directly into his eyes. _

_"No. God no." He said quickly as he took her hand again._

_"Then what's wrong? Is everything okay?" She asked._

_"Everything's fine… it's great."_

_"Okay…" She said quietly._

_"Look, Gabriella… I am being considered for the Lakers. They want me to move out to California after graduation." He explained._

_"That's great!" She said with a smile. "It's everything you ever wanted!"_

_"I might have to be out there for a while, though." He explained gently._

_"What do you mean by 'a while'?" Gabriella asked. She held her breath as she looked at him look down at their hands._

_"They said a couple of years." He said quietly._

_Gabriella felt the tears starting to form from the corners of her eyes. _

_"I can go with you." She said._

_"I can't ask you to do that." He said. _

_"You don't have to ask. I'll go if it means staying with you." She said._

_"What about your dream to go to college in New York? I can't ask you to put it on hold for me. I wouldn't be able to live with myself." He said. _

_"Troy…" She started. _

_She couldn't finish as she started to cry. She gasped for a quick breath of air, knowing her silent sobs would take all the air she could give. Troy pulled her toward him and held her closely as her soft tears formed a dark spot on his shirt. He inhaled the mix of her flower shampoo and the smell of hot chocolate that always seemed to linger on her body. She held onto him tightly, wrapping her arms around him and his body against hers warmed her even though inside she felt so cold. _

_"I'll come back for you. I promise you that." He whispered to her. _

Troy didn't know that eighteen years later Gabriella would remembered that promise he made to her. He threw the picture of her back in the box angrily and shut the light of the closet off and closed the door behind him. He climbed into his bed and lay staring at the ceiling. He turned his head and looked at the empty spot next to him, knowing that Gabriella would be laying there if only he had kept his promise.

* * *

**Tell me what you think! In the next chapter Blake and Gabi tell the class of what they're discovering about Ms. Montez!**

**Much love,**

**unknownbyhim22**


	7. Chapter 7

**Thanks for all of the reviews, everyone! This chapter is where some things get complicated... Enjoy!**

* * *

Back at East High

Chapter seven

Blake was talking to Gabi before class about tutoring and she happily agreed to help him. A name was printed on the board indicating that they had a Substitute teacher for the day and they were all excited for no class work. They sat in their desks as they looked at the teacher who stood at the front. She smiled and she had a clip on her sweater that said _VISITOR_ on it. The class was quiet, other then the chuckling of the guys who were throwing small wads of paper at each other when the teacher wasn't looking.

"Your teacher wants you to put your desks in a circle and have a group discussion about anything that you agree on talking about. She said if it gets out of hand, you have to do class work. She's also going to be out tomorrow for a meeting." The teacher explained.

The class was soon in a tight circle in the middle of the room. They sat there looking at each other for a minute, not wanting to talk to each other. Gabi gave Blake a look from across the room and he nodded at her as he spoke up.

"I think we should talk about Ms. Montez." He said to the class.

"Why would we do that?" Zac asked.

"Raise your hand if you have ever been told about East High when everyone hung out together, no matter what group they were in and when the basketball player and the Scholastic Decathlon girl came together to unite the school." Blake asked.

Everyone including the Substitute teacher raised their hand. The class looked at her from where they sat and she quickly explained.

"I was a cheerleader here when it happened." She explained.

"Well, does everyone know who the girl was?" He asked.

"Yeah, Gabriella…" Summer said, her eyes widened when she realize the coincidence that the class was about to talk about.

"Montez!" The rest of the class exclaimed.

"Exactly," Blake said. "Ms. Montez has to be Gabriella from East High."

"Well, shouldn't you know for sure? Isn't your dad Troy Bolton?" Mackenzie asked.

"Yeah, but he doesn't talk about it that much. He only told me about the time when he was in the musical. After that it's a mystery to me." Blake explained.

"I wonder why Ms. Montez didn't tell us she went to East High for high school." C said.

"Yeah, it's not like it's a huge secret that a Gabriella Montez went to East High." Zac said.

"Maybe she just didn't want to get too personal." Summer said.

"Why didn't she marry your dad?" A blonde haired boy asked Blake.

"I don't know anything about their relationship. All I know is that they loved each other."

"That's so romantic." Summer sighed.

"Everything is romantic to you." C said as he looked at Summer.

Summer shrugged and continued to listen to the conversation.

"There's more to just the fact that Ms. Montez may be Gabriella." Gabi started.

"What do you mean?" Mackenzie asked.

"All of our teachers, Mr. and Mrs. Danforth, Mr. Evans, Mr. and Mrs. Baylor are the group of friends that were against Troy and Gabriella at first. But then after a while they helped the school come together too." Gabi explained.

"Mrs. Baylor went to East High, too?" Summer asked.

"Yeah, you might know her from stories as Sharpay." Gabi said.

"Oh my God! She's not only the best actress known to East High, but she was voted best dressed all four years!" Summer exclaimed.

"Yeah, and she got married to Zeke the baker." Gabi said.

"See? Baking is cool, everyone!" Zac said. The class laughed quietly and continued.

"Chad and Taylor got married, who are also Mr. and Mrs. Danforth." Blake added.

"Aw, Chad married Taylor? I knew he would." The Sub said with a smile.

"So, what do you know about Gabriella Montez?" Blake asked.

"I don't think I should discuss it with all of you. It's not right to be talking about your teacher." She said.

"If you tell us, we'll tell everyone that you're the best sub we've ever had and to not give you a hard time." C bribed.

"I'll only tell you a little bit." She said as she walked over and stood near the circle.

"We'll take what we can get." C said with a smile.

"They were definitely in love and they put on the best musical I've ever seen. I remember the summer of eleventh grade when the entire grade got jobs at the country club Sharpay and her family owned. I never knew chopping vegetables could be so fun. Sharpay, though today she's nice, she wasn't back then. She tried her hardest to break Troy and Gabriella up and after a while she gave up. They stayed together through the ups and the downs and I guess there was just one thing they couldn't get over that just ruined them." She explained.

"What was it?" Gabi asked.

"No one knows, only Sharpay, Taylor, Chad, Zeke and Ryan." She answered.

"Do you think it was bad?" Summer asked her.

"They graduated and after that no one saw them together again. They didn't even come to the tenth year high school reunion." She said as she looked at the clock. "Tomorrow we can pick up on this conversation, but right now you have to leave for your next class."

"Don't tell her we're talking about this." C said.

"I won't." The Sub said.

Blake took Gabi home after a tutoring session in the library. They were talking most of the ride home, mainly about Ms. Montez and Blake's dad. Gabi laughed as Blake looked at her and he smiled, his blue eyes were sparkling as a small ray of light hit them. He seemed to be thinking as he pulled up in Gabi's driveway. She was smiling as she unbuckled her seat belt and laughing from the recent comment Blake had made about the way people drive. She had the door open and one foot out the door when Blake called her name.

"Gabi…" He said before she could get out.

"Yeah?" She asked as she looked at him.

Her elbow was on the arm rest that was placed in between them. Blake smiled at her and she smiled back. She saw his eyes drift toward her lips and if she had room to faint, she would have. He brushed a piece of hair away from her eye and kissed her softly. Her heart was pounding as they both pulled away and she laughed quietly at the unbelievable thing that had just happened to her… the Scholastic Decathlon girl.

"See you tomorrow." He said with a giddy smile on his face.

Gabi nodded and stepped out of the car. As Blake honked the horn twice, Gabi couldn't stop smiling. She screamed in excitement when she walked into her house, knowing no one was home to hear her. If she had any skills, she would have danced around the kitchen.

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**Sorry it was short! The next chapter... well, you'll see. :)**

**Much love,**

**unknownbyhim22**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey everyone! Thanks for the reviews! Did you all get the chance to buy Vanessa's new CD? I bought it this morning and have been listening to it. It's not the kind of music I usually listen to, but I'm all for supporting Vanessa and all of the HSM cast that keep us all so entertained. I'm currently listening to "Vulnerable" and I like it. :) Once again, thanks so much for your reviews! I lied, _this_ chapter is where it gets complicated. :) Well, I hope you like it! **

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Back at East High

Chapter eight

The next day everyone came straight to class and their desks were in a circle before the bell even rang. The same substitute teacher was there and she listened to the conversation from a desk that was added into the circle halfway through class. The class decided to stand while they talked after they got sick of sitting down. Blake was standing next to Gabi, who was standing next to Summer.

"We should ask her about it tomorrow." Mackenzie suggested.

"I don't think that's a good idea." C said.

"Yeah she might be mad that we are snooping around her personal life." Gabi said.

"I agree." Blake said as he quickly winked at her.

"I want to know why they didn't get married so bad!" Zac exclaimed as he threw his hands in the air.

"I wonder who ended it." C said.

"Probably Troy." Summer said.

"Why do you think he did it?" C asked her quickly.

"He seems like the type of guy who would break someone's heart." She said.

Gabi looked at Blake, who just shrugged.

"You're so stupid. It was obviously Gabriella who ended it." C said.

"C, don't tell her she's stupid." Gabi said nicely. She couldn't help but notice the hurt look on Summer's face. Summer smiled at her, thankful for the backup.

"Who are you to tell me what to do?" C asked meanly.

"Hey man, watch it." Blake said putting his hand up to calm C down.

"You can't honestly take her side can you? I mean Troy's your dad." C said.

"I'm not taking anyone's side." Blake said.

"Gabriella did not end it." Mackenzie spoke up.

"How do you know?" Zac asked.

"She seems too nice." Mackenzie said.

"It's always the nice girls who break hearts." Zac said nodding.

"Are you saying that I am the one who would always break someone's heart because I'm nice?" Mackenzie asked somewhat defensively.

"No because no one would date you." Zac said. "You dance around too much."

The girls gasped, including Gabi. Blake looked at her and she almost looked hurt for Mackenzie.

"Okay, class, that's enough." The substitute said, but no one was listening to her.

"Well, no one would date you because you bake!" She yelled at him.

"You did not just go there!" Zac said angrily.

"Oh, I did." Mackenzie said.

"Guys, we're supposed to be talking about Ms. Montez." Blake pointed out.

"Yeah, calm down." Gabi added.

"What? Are you two suddenly the Blake and Gabi team?" C asked.

"Come on, man, don't be like that." Blake said.

"Whose side would you be on? Your dad's or Gabriella's?" C asked.

"I already told you. I'm not picking sides." He answered.

"Are you too scared?" Zac asked with a laugh.

"How can I choose a side when I don't even know the whole story?" Blake asked.

"I don't know. It looks to me that the girls are choosing Gabriella's side and the guys are choosing your dad's side. So the question isn't whose side are you on but whose side do you belong on?" C asked.

"C, why are you putting me on the spot like this?" Blake asked.

C didn't get to answer because the bell rang before anyone else could make another rude comment. Summer glared at C and Mackenzie shoved Zac out of her way when she was walking out of the classroom. Gabi and Blake were left in the circle watching the class walk out of the room.

"What are we going to do?" Gabi asked Blake.

"Whatever we do tomorrow, we can't choose sides." He said.

"Okay." Gabi nodded.

The next day when Ms. Montez walked into her classroom, she suddenly stopped and looked at the quiet class. There were two rows of girls on the right side of the classroom and two rows of boys on the left. Gabi and Blake were sitting in the middle of the two sets of rows.

"Are you playing some kind of game?" Ms. Montez asked as she set her hot chocolate on her desk.

There was no answer as the boys crossed their arms across their chest and the girls glared in their direction. Gabi smiled quickly and Blake sighed.

"Are you mad at me for not being here?" Ms. Montez asked.

"No." A few of them mumbled.

"What's wrong then? Why are you split up?" She asked.

No one said anything.

"If someone doesn't tell me what's going on, there will be some consequences." Ms. Montez threatened.

Summer raised her hand and Gabi looked at her, longing for her not to say anything about the class's argument.

"We had an argument." Summer said.

"During your group discussion?" Ms. Montez asked.

No one said anything; they just looked down at their desks.

"What happened?" Ms. Montez asked.

Nothing.

"Someone better start talking." Ms. Montez said. "Okay, so since no one will tell me, I guess I'll have to pick someone to tell me. So, Blake, what happened?" She asked.

"Nothing happened, Ms. Montez." He said.

"I think you're lying to me. I can always count this discussion as a grade and if you don't talk, I can mark you down."

"Ms. Montez, don't!" Gabi spoke up.

The class removed their eyes from their desks and looked at her.

"We all promised each other we wouldn't tell you what we talked about. So if you are going to mark Blake down, you can mark me down, too." She said.

Blake looked at her and his eyes were telling her to stop covering for him, but she wouldn't let him take the blame when there was nothing to blame him for.

"That's nice of you to cover for him, but all I want to know is why my class is split into three sections."

"There are two sides to this argument and Blake and I don't want to take sides so we are the third group." She said.

"I see. And why can't I know about the argument?" Ms. Montez asked.

Gabi didn't answer and everyone else was back to staring at their desks.

"Gabi, can you answer me?" Ms. Montez asked.

"No." She said.

"I can give you a detention for insubordination." Ms. Montez said.

"You." Blake said.

Gabi looked at him and shook her head.

"Don't." She whispered.

"We're arguing about you." He said.

"What in the world could make you argue about me?" Ms. Montez asked.

"We wanted to know who ended it." Blake said.

"Ended what?" Ms. Montez asked.

"Your relationship with my dad." Blake said simply.

"I don't think I know what you're talking about." Ms. Montez said.

"Come on, Ms. Montez, we all know you're Gabriella Montez, the girl who changed East High for the best. You dated my dad, Troy Bolton, and you obviously didn't get married. So we wanted to know why not?" Blake said angrily.

"It's not your business." Ms. Montez said

"Why isn't it our business? Is it because you have something to hide? I'm sure if my dad was the bad guy in the situation, you would be telling us all about it." Blake said.

"Blake, calm down." Gabi whispered.

"I'm not going to calm down!" He said as he stood up. "For once I'm going to take my dad's side. You had to be the one who ruined the relationship because my dad wouldn't have completely left me by myself so he could avoid Albuquerque."

"That's enough, Blake." Ms. Montez said.

"Yeah, whatever." He said as he walked over toward the guys and sat down next to C, leaving Gabi alone.

Gabi looked over at Blake who avoided all eye contact with her. She stood up and walked to the girl's side of the room and sat down in a desk next to Summer. Ms. Montez had them sit completely silent for the rest of the hour while she sent emails to their parents.

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**Whoa, so still listening to "Vulnerable" and I offically think it's one of my favorite new VH songs. Well, review if you want to!**

**Much love,**

**unknownbyhim22**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey everyone! Thanks for the reviews! I love you all! Okay, well, this chapter is dedicated to ASHLEY TISDALE becuase it's her B-day today! Happy Birthday! Alright, here's the chapter, I hope you like it!**

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Back at East High

Chapter nine

Gabi was walking down the hallway the next day and C came up to her. She didn't smile as she held her binder for her next class in her hand.

"Sorry your little relationship didn't work out with Blake. I'm sure you were hoping for the star basketball player to like you, but that doesn't happen around here anymore." He said with a smirk.

"Hey, Gabriella, lets walk to class together." Summer said as she led her away from C."Thanks." Gabi said as Summer walked next to her.

"No problem, follow me." Summer said.

"What about class?" Gabi asked.

"I got you excused today." She said.

"How? Why?"

"Just follow me and relax." She said as she walked through the auditorium doors.

They walked up on the stage and toward a door that was open. Ms. Baylor was sitting at a desk that was decorated with sparkles and glitter. She had pictures of her and her students everywhere and the smell of vanilla engulfed the room. Mrs. Baylor looked up when she heard a knock on her door.

"Come on in." She said.

"Hey, Mrs. B. Thanks for letting us come and talk to you." Summer said.

"Anytime, girls." She said as she shut the door for them.

"Okay, so you want to know about Ms. Montez?" She asked.

Gabi looked at Summer and she smiled at her as she winked quickly.

"Yes." Summer said.

_The blue gown that Gabriella was wearing only made her feel sick, knowing that today was the day she had been dreading. Today was graduation. Her diploma was perfectly rolled and tied with a blue ribbon and the sun that was shining over Albuquerque was brighter then it ever seemed to be. She was looking for her mom as she walked on the bright green grass and her high heels sank slightly down through the soft Earth. Her mom gave her a hugged when she saw her and she congratulated her on her huge accomplishment. _

_"Honey, cheer up." Her mother had said. _

_"I'm fine, mom, honestly." She said. _

_"Why don't you talk to your friends for a while?" She suggested._

_"Okay, I'll be back later." She said as she headed over to find Taylor, Sharpay, Zeke, Chad, Ryan, and Troy. _

_She saw Taylor first and she walked over to her, where everyone except Troy joined her. After a few minutes of small talk and excitement, Gabriella finally asked the group what had been on her mind for a while. _

_"Where's Troy?" Gabriella asked._

_Chad glanced at Taylor and Taylor nodded at him._

_"He left, Gabs." He said._

_"What?" She asked in disbelief._

_"He couldn't stay to say goodbye. He had to leave." He explained._

_"You've got to be kidding me." Gabriella said shaking her head._

_"Sorry, Gabi." Taylor said as the others looked at her._

_"I can't believe him." She said as she started to walk away. _

_She walked into East High and almost ran down the hallway toward the gym. She pushed the doors open, but as she walked in, the gym was empty. Troy wasn't there playing basketball, and he wasn't behind her getting ready to sneak up on her. He was gone like high school was, like the feeling in Gabriella's heart. She sank onto the gym floor and sobbed until Taylor found her there. It took all of her friends to get her to stand up and the terrified look on Chad and Zeke's face made her cry harder as she walked out of East High for the first time without Troy. _

"He just left her? Without a goodbye?" Gabi asked in shock.

"It would have been too hard to say goodbye, honey. We couldn't ask him to stay to say goodbye to Gabriella, just like he couldn't ask Gabriella to come with him to L.A." Mrs. Baylor explained.

"Why did he wait until eighteen years came around to visit?" Gabi asked.

"What do you mean? Did he visit?" Mrs. Baylor asked.

"He came for parent teacher conferences. But he didn't know that Ms. Montez was Gabriella."

"Gabs must have been heartbroken all over again." Mrs. Baylor said.

"I feel so bad for her." Gabi said.

"She'll be okay. She's tough." Mrs. Baylor reassured her.

"I wish Blake knew." Gabi said half to herself.

"Did you like him?" Summer asked.

"I don't know." She said as a small tear slipped away from the corner of her eye.

Summer hugged her gently and Mrs. Baylor smiled at them.

"It's those Bolton eyes, isn't it?" Mrs. Baylor asked.

Gabi nodded with a small laugh as she wiped another falling tear away.

Blake was lying on his bed after school and he was dialing his dad's phone number. He was surprised when he didn't get the answering machine.

"Hello?" His dad asked.

"Dad?"

"Hey, Blake. Is everything okay?" He asked.

"Do you think you could come home? I need to talk to you and I don't want to talk about it over the phone." Blake said.

"Blake..." He started.

"Come on, Dad. It's Thanksgiving break. Just tell them you have family business to take care of." Blake said.

"I'll see what I can do." He said. "You're not hurt, are you?"

"Only emotionally, Dad, but I don't want to talk about it now. I'll see you soon." Blake said as he hung up the phone.

He sighed as he stared at the dull ceiling. He should have listened to Coach Danforth about not getting involved in other people's business because now, he was paying for it. He heard his doorbell ring downstairs so he walked toward his window to see who it was. C was standing at the door with Zac. Blake walked down the staircase and toward the front door. He opened it without a smile and stood staring at his friends.

"Hey, man. Wanna shoot some hoops?" C asked.

"Not really, dude." Blake said.

"Whoa, what's wrong?" Zac asked.

"Nothing." Blake said as he walked away, leaving the door open so his friends could come in.

"There has to be something wrong. I mean you never turn down basketball." Zac said as he followed Blake into the kitchen.

"Why don't you ask C about it?" Blake said as he grabbed a water bottle out of the refrigerator.

"I didn't do anything." C said as he sat on the kitchen counter. Zac sat across from him.

"You didn't do anything?" Blake asked. "You made me choose sides the other day and now…" He started.

"And now what, Blake? Gabi won't talk to you?" C asked.

Blake glared at him from where he was standing. Zac watched the two of them intently.

"Yeah, C, that's it." Blake said.

"Dude, you like Geeky Gabi?" Zac asked.

"She's not a geek, Zac." Blake said calmly.

"Oh, come on, Blake, we spent most of our high school life avoiding those kinds of people and now suddenly you're in love with one of them?" C asked.

"We never got to know any of them. Gabi's a nice person." Blake explained.

"You like nice girls?" C asked.

"Maybe." Blake said.

"Dude, why didn't you tell me that before I yelled at Mackenzie?" Zac asked.

"You should have just shut your mouth the second you walked into class, Zac." Blake said.

"Well, thanks for the backup." Zac said.

"Both of you made a mistake that I couldn't have fixed. It was your choice to tell Summer she was stupid…" He said looking at C "And it was your fault you said no one would date Mackenzie." Blake said looking at Zac.

"Yeah, and it was your fault for yelling at Gabi." C said.

"You made me choose!" Blake yelled. "Ms. Montez was going to give her a detention for no reason at all. I was not about to sit and watch Gabi's perfect record get ruined for an argument that you started."

"This is so ridiculous, dude. I'm leaving. Call me when the old Blake comes back." C said as he hopped off of the counter, with Zac following him.

"I haven't changed!" Blake yelled after them. "You can't honestly stop talking to me because I like someone other then a cheerleader."

"Yeah, I can." C said.

"I didn't stop talking to you when you had a crush on Summer in tenth grade, did I?" Blake asked as he walked towards them.

"Dude, you liked Summer?" Zac asked with a laugh.

"Shut up." C scowled as he shoved Zac.

"You promised you would never tell anyone!" C said.

"Well, you promised you'd be there for me no matter what." Blake yelled back.

"Maybe we shouldn't be friends anymore if we can't agree on it." C said angrily.

"Fine." Blake said.

"Hey, guys, I don't think this is worth losing our friendship over." Zac said.

"Shut up, Zac!" They both yelled.

Blake walked back to the kitchen and C walked out the front door. Zac shook his head and followed C out of the house.

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**Guy drama! Well, review for the next chapter... Troy tells the guys the truth... who's fault it really was. **

**Much love,**

**unknownbyhim22**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey everyone! Have I told you all that you're the best?**** Well, you are! Thanks so much for the reviews! I'm so glad that you are enjoying this story as much as I am. Since I kind of said a few things in the last chapters about Vanessa and Ashley I decided to put another fact about someone in this author note... KayCee Stroh (Martha from HSM) is getting married! Yes, you heard it right, she's tieing the knot with her boyfriend, Ben Higginson. Okay, well, enjoy the chapter! **

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Back at East High

Chapter ten

Blake was lying on the couch watching a basketball game when his dad walked in. Blake had his pajamas on and he was throwing popcorn at the screen every few seconds. Troy laughed at the sight of his son and Blake turned his gaze away from the TV to look at his dad. Troy sat on the coffee table and looked at Blake.

"What was it that you wanted to talk about?" Troy asked with a small sympathetic smile.

"Why is it so hard to do what you want while trying to make everyone else happy?" Blake asked as he looked at the ceiling.

"That's a complicated question." Troy said as he thought about a good answer. "I guess you have to choose what's better. Would you rather spend your life pleasing others or being happy doing what you want to do?"

"That's definitely not an easy thing to figure out." Blake said.

"I know exactly what you mean." Troy said.

"How do you explain what you want to your friends?" Blake asked.

"You have to talk to them even if they don't want to hear it. Otherwise you'll lose them for good."

"If only I knew that a couple of hours ago." Blake said.

"Why? What happened?" Troy asked.

"Dad, C and Zac won't be my friends anymore because I like Gabi." Blake explained.

"Sounds familiar." Troy said shaking his head. "Did you talk to Gabi about it?"

"No. She won't talk to me either. At least that's what I think. I avoided her the last day before break."

"Why did you avoid her?" Troy asked.

"I chose a side." Blake said shaking his head.

"Is this side you chose why C and Zac won't talk to you, too?"

"I chose their side. It was during a class discussion when we had a sub in English and the class started to take sides. Gabi and I didn't want to take sides so we didn't. When Ms. Montez asked why the class was all on sides, I ended up getting up from sitting next to Gabi to walking over to the guy's side." Blake explained.

"It must have been a huge argument to have the entire class mad at each other."

"It was pretty big." Blake said quietly.

"What was it about?"

"Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez." Blake said as he looked at his dad.

"I don't think I understand." Troy said.

"That's exactly what Ms. Montez said." Blake said.

"Okay, you better start explaining from the beginning." Troy said, somewhat angrily.

Blake sat up and looked directly at his dad.

"We all found out that Ms. Montez is Gabriella." Blake started. "You can't deny it either, Dad. It's obvious. We did research."

"You researched her?"

"We googled her." Blake explained.

"That doesn't make it any better." Troy said.

"We wanted to know who ended the relationship and why you never married Ms. Montez. After all the stories the class told each other, people started to take sides." Blake explained.

"I take it the girls took Ms. Montez's side."

"And the guys took yours."

Troy nodded and waited for him to continue.

"We confronted Ms. Montez about it and she was mad. Then I got mad and I blew up about how it was probably her fault that you two never stayed together. Then I kinda yelled at Gabi and now all I see is her face when I did. She actually looked afraid of me. I never want to see her like that again. Damn it, what did I do?"

"Calm down." Troy said quietly. "I wish you never got involved in this."

"Tell me about it." Blake said.

"I wish everyone just took Gabriella's side." Troy said half to himself.

"Why?"

"Because it was my fault we never stayed together." Troy said as a wave of sickness washed through him.

"What?!" Blake exclaimed.

"Call Zac and C and I'll tell you everything together." He said as he got up and walked out of the room.

As C and Zac sat on the couch of the family room, Troy came in with a box of stuff. Blake had filled Zac and C in about what he knew so far and Troy got straight to the point as he showed them everything in the East High box.

"We all promised each other that we would come back." Troy started.

_He felt sick as he walked toward his car after graduation. The thought of leaving was killing him. He was opening his car door when he heard Chad calling after him._

_"Hey, Troy!" He called as he ran toward him with a smile._

_"Hey, man." Troy said softly._

_"Where are you going?" Chad asked._

_"I'm leaving right now." Troy explained._

_"Now?" Chad asked._

_"I can't see Gabriella today. It'll be too hard." Troy said._

_"Are you sure?" Chad asked._

_"Yeah." Troy said._

_"Do you need anything?" Chad asked._

_"No, I'm fine." Troy answered._

_"Good luck, man." Chad said as he hugged him goodbye._

_"Take care of Gabriella for me, okay?" Troy asked._

_"No problem." Chad said with a smile. "Promise you'll come back and coach basketball with me?" Chad asked._

_"I promise." Troy said with a laugh._

_"Don't forget me." _

_"How could I forget my brother?" Troy asked._

_"Alright, well, I'll let you go. I don't like this mushy stuff." Chad said._

_"See ya, man." Troy said as he sat in his car. He rolled down the window and said one last thing before he drove away._

_"Marry Taylor, okay?" Troy said._

_"What?" Chad asked with a laugh._

_"Trust me, she won't say no." He said as he drove away. _

_Chad walked out of the parking lot and found Taylor talking to Gabriella. He frowned at the sadness that was visible on Gabriella face. He looked at Taylor and she knew what was going on as Gabriella asked where Troy was._

"So you just left her? On graduation?" Blake asked.

"I wouldn't have been able to leave." Troy explained.

"Dude." Zac said shaking his head.

"You can't throw your friendship away over something as small as an argument. You have been like brothers since you were in diapers. You have to stick together." Troy said. "I lost my best friends and I regret it everyday."

"Yeah, you're right." C said. "I want Blake to coach basketball with me instead of going off to the Lakers."

"Anytime you want me to start coaching, I'll be there." Blake said with a smile.

"And anytime you want to marry Gabi, I'll be your best man." C said.

"I'll cater your wedding." Zac said excitedly.

"Sweet!" Blake said.

"Okay, boys, let's not get carried away."

"Sorry." They said with a laugh.

"So if you don't mind me asking, Mr. B, who is Blake's mom if he's not Ms. Montez's son?" Zac asked.

"I met Blake's mom in college. It was kind of an accident." Troy explained.

"Well, I feel great now." Blake said sarcastically.

"I remember when you were born. It was on Gabriella's birthday." Troy said.

"That's ironic." C said.

"I was so happy when you looked at me with those signature Bolton blue eyes." Troy said.

"They definitely attract the ladies." Blake joked.

"Ms. Montez said she liked the color blue because of your eyes, Mr. B." C said.

"Did she?" Troy said with a smile.

"Yeah. I mean she didn't say your name, but we all knew." C said.

"Aw man." Troy sighed.

"I really need to talk to Gabi." Blake said.

"She left." C said.

"What?!" Blake asked.

"We saw her leave with her parents. She's probably going somewhere for Thanksgiving."

"I can't believe this. I really liked her." Blake said.

"Talk to her at school." Troy said. "Just remember to come back if you ever go somewhere."

"What?" The three boys asked.

"I promised Gabriella I would come back for her and I never did." Troy said sadly.

"Do you wish you would have?" C asked.

"I wish I never left." Troy said.

"No offense, Dad, but I don't want to end up like you. You know, only coming home when there's an emergency because you don't want to run into Gabriella." Blake said.

"I'm glad, son. Alright, I'm going to sleep. Tomorrow we're going to your grandparents' house for Thanksgiving, so don't stay up too late."

"Okay, Dad. Thanks for telling us." Blake said.

"Yeah, thanks Mr. B." C and Zac said at the same time.

"Anytime, boys." Troy said.

C and Zac stayed over for a while to watch the rest of the basketball game that was playing. When it was midnight, they went home and promised to help Blake get Gabi back when school came around.

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**Tell me what you think! In the next chapter... Thanksgiving break... Blake needs to talk to Gabi... Gabi needs to find where Blake is to talk to him... Ms. Montez should know where Blake and Troy went for Thanksgiving, right? After all, she pretty much lived at the Bolton's house in high school...**

**Much love,**

**unknownbyhim22**


	11. Chapter 11

**This is now the seventh time I've tried to post this darn chapter.**

**Hey everyone! You're still the best reviewers ever! Wow this chapter is HUGE! I didn't even realize it until now. Be aware of the Gabi's and Gabriella's... it can get confusing. Well, okay, enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Back at East High

Chapter eleven

**Gabriella** was setting her table for the guests she was having over that evening for Thanksgiving. She invited Taylor, Chad and their kids over along with Zeke, Sharpay and Ryan. The smell of the turkey consumed the house and she was in a pretty good mood considering the comments made at school.

**Gabi **was at her grandparents' house, curling her hair in the guest room as she listened to music. Her parents were downstairs helping her grandma cook dinner and the usual smell of turkey that made her excited only made her annoyed. She was quieter than usual, if it was possible, and she hated the random tears that fell from her eyes.

**Blake and Troy** were getting dressed before they left for Troy's parent's house and as they walked to the car they laughed at how much they looked alike in their dress pants and jackets. Blake sat in the front seat of his dad's car and he turned the radio on as he looked out the window.

**Gabriella** answered the door when she heard it ring. She was wearing a v-neck black dress that went slightly past her knees and she hurried to the door, her high heels clicking on the wood floor of her house. Taylor and Chad were at the door with their kids and the kids were each holding a stuffed animal, probably to keep them quiet.

"Hey, guys! Thanks for coming." Gabriella said with a smile as she hugged them both.

"Thanks for having us." Taylor said with a smile.

"Thanks for having us, Ms. Gabriella." The boy that looked exactly like Chad said.

"You're very welcome." She said with a laugh.

"He practiced that the whole way here." Taylor said with a laugh as she walked into the kitchen with Gabriella to put her green bean casserole on the counter.

"They look exactly like you and Chad." Gabriella said with a laugh.

"They're a handful, let me tell you." Taylor said as she watched her family in the family room.

"I'm sure you're the best mom ever. You always liked kids." Gabriella said.

"I wouldn't say the best, but I'm a cool one." Taylor said was a laugh.

The doorbell rang and Chad got it since he was the closest. Gabriella and Taylor walked out of the kitchen and saw Sharpay, Zeke, and Ryan. They smiled as they hugged them.

"Aw, Gabs, it's so good to see you." Sharpay said.

"Thank you for coming! I thought it would be fun to get together again." Gabriella explained.

Sharpay was wearing a pink dress that fell just above her knee. Her ring matched it perfectly and she walked into the kitchen with Taylor to put her brownies on the counter that Zeke must have baked that day. Zeke and Ryan hugged Gabriella as they came into the house and she smiled happily at the guys.

"You can watch TV if you want. I heard there's a big basketball game on today." She said with a knowing smile.

"Oh, thank you so much!" Zeke said as he pumped his fist in the air.

"The women are going to be pissed." Ryan said with a laugh.

"I'll cover for you." Gabriella said as she walked into the kitchen.

Sharpay and Taylor were talking when Gabriella walked in and she smiled at them happily.

"It's so great to be back in Albuquerque again." Gabriella said.

"It must be!" Sharpay said with a smile. "I can't believe how long it's been."

"How was college?" Taylor asked.

"It was amazing. I was offered a job in New York but I didn't take it." She explained.

"Why not? I'm sure you would be getting paid much more then you do now." Sharpay said.

"We all promised each other that we'd come back. I was already gone for a long time, so I wanted to come back for everyone." She explained.

"We would have understood if you didn't come back." Taylor said.

"I know. I just couldn't leave you behind. You're my best friends." Gabi said with a smile.

"And you're ours!" Sharpay said excitedly.

"Are the guys watching the game?!" Taylor asked as she peeked into the family room.

"I told them not to!" Sharpay replied angrily.

"Its okay, I told them they could." Gabriella said with a laugh.

"I'm sorry. They can't miss one game." Taylor said shaking their head.

"It gives us an excuse to talk. Besides, they have been watching games together for their whole life." Gabriella said with a smile.

**Blake, Troy, and Mr. Bolton** were sitting on the couch watching the basketball game while Mrs. Bolton cooked in the kitchen, and Blake wasn't really paying attention as he thought about Gabi. Mrs. Bolton came out from the kitchen and she rolled her eyes at the men.

"You're hopeless." She said shaking her head.

"Sorry, Mom." Troy said.

"Yeah, sorry, Honey." Mr. Bolton said as he watched the game intently.

"Are you okay, Blake?" Mrs. Bolton asked as she looked at him from the doorway.

"I'm fine, Grandma." He said with a smile.

"Why don't you help me in the kitchen for a while?" She asked.

"Okay." He said as he got up from the couch.

"Blake get me a Heineken. I'm too old to get up." Mr. Bolton said.

"Dad, you're 54." Troy said with a laugh.

"Whatever." Blake said as he walked into the kitchen.

He handed his Grandpa his drink and went in the kitchen with his Grandma. He was smashing potatoes when his grandma finally asked him about what was on his mind.

"So, are you sure you're okay?" She asked him.

"I don't know." Blake answered.

"That's not a good answer for your Grandma." She said with a laugh.

"I just have something on my mind." Blake said.

"Something or someone?" His Grandma asked.

"How do you know I'm thinking about someone?" He asked.

"You're just like your father. He used to look like you do now when he was upset about Gabriella." She explained. "So who is she?"

"Her name's Gabi." He answered.

"Wow, that's ironic." She said with a laugh.

"I think I might have hurt her feelings and I'm mad about it. It's no big deal though, so don't worry." He said.

"After dinner you should try calling her." Mrs. Bolton said.

"I don't exactly know her phone number. I never asked." He said honestly.

"That might be a problem. Just hang in there." She said with a smile.

"Thanks." He said as he scooped the mashed potatoes in a green bowl.

**Gabi **walked downstairs and the men of her family were watching the basketball game. She couldn't help but think of Blake as she glanced at the TV, but she tried to get her mind off of him as she helped cook the meal. It was dark outside and it was raining softly as she looked out the kitchen window. Her family sat at the table and said Grace before they ate. She smashed her peas that were next to her stuffing on the cream plate and she ate her food quietly.

"Honey, are you okay?" Her mom asked her halfway through dinner.

"I'm fine. Do you think I can be excused?" She asked.

"We're in the middle of dinner." Her mom said with a small laugh.

"I know I have to take care of something, okay? I'll be back later." She said.

"Where are you going?" Her mom asked.

"Don't worry about it. I'll call a cab so you don't have to worry about the car." She said as she stood up from the table.

"Gabi!" The adults called after her.

"Bye. Love you!" She called back as she ran outside towards the cab that was already waiting for her. She ran quickly so she wouldn't get too wet and she told the cab driver where to go. She ended up on Blake's porch, but he wasn't home. She should have checked if he was home before she sent the cab driver away because now she was outside in the rain without any transportation. She took out a piece of paper that was in her sweater pocket and read the address that she had written on it earlier that day. She started to run as fast as she could toward the house of the only person who could help her.

**Gabriella **was finished cleaning her kitchen and she sat on the couch as she talk with everyone. The kids were running around the family room and Taylor was yelling at them to stop. There was a knock on the door and the little boy who went by Ty ran to it. He opened it and the adults all stopped talking when they saw who was at the door. Ms. Montez stood up and walked towards the door.

"Gabi, what are you doing here?" She asked the girl who was standing on her porch, soaking wet from head to toe.

"I need your help." She said.

"Is everything okay?"

"Do you know where Blake would have gone for Thanksgiving?" Gabi asked.

"Probably to his grandparents' house, why?"

"I need to talk to him and you're the only one I could think of that would know where his grandparent's house was." She explained.

"What do you want me to do?"

"Well, I was hoping you'd drive me there. But if you don't want too, I can just walk." She said.

"I don't know if that's a good idea." Gabriella said she looked at Taylor and Sharpay who shrugged.

"Please, Ms. Montez. I don't want to spend the rest of my life having people wondering who ended the relationship… if you know what I mean." She said hopefully.

"Okay, let's go." She said.

"Don't you need a coat?" Gabi asked her.

"We don't have time to get coats; we have to get you there fast." Gabriella said.

"Thank you." Gabi said with a smile.

"Everyone, feel free to stay. I'll be back." Gabriella told her guests.

"See you all on Monday!" Gabi said before the door shut.

The grownups laughed as the door shut.

"Let's hope Troy is there." Taylor said to the group.

"Yeah, maybe they can talk." Chad said nodding.

"I can't just sit here and not know what's going on!" Sharpay announced.

"Wait twenty minutes and we'll go spy." Taylor said.

"Taylor!" Chad said.

"Like we haven't' done it before." She laughed.

**Blake** was tapping his foot anxiously as he sat at the kitchen table while the adults talked. They were done with dinner already and they had been talking for fifteen minutes so far. Troy glanced at him and then he continued to talk to his dad.

"Um… I'd love to stay and chat, but if you don't mind I would like to go find Gabi." He said as he stood up from the table.

"Where are you going to go?" Mrs. Bolton asked.

"I don't know. Every house in Albuquerque if I have too." He said as he ran out of the house, into the pouring ran.

**Gabriella** pulled over to the side of the road when she heard her car make a sound that she never heard before. Gabi was impatient as she sat in the front seat and Gabriella cursed under her breath when the car wouldn't start again.

"The car broke down. We're going to have to walk the rest of the way." She said.

"Alright. How much further?" Gabi asked.

"We're a couple of streets away." Gabriella answered.

"Let's run." Gabi said.

"That's easy for you to say." Gabriella said with a laugh, but she got out of the car anyway.

"You're thirty-six, Ms. Montez. You're still young."

"Well, thanks, but I meant I couldn't run in these heels." She said as she slipped off her high heels.

"Oh, sorry." Gabi laughed.

They ran down a few streets, puddles splashing them with every step and they slowed down when Gabriella saw the house. They stood on the damp grass of the Bolton's front yard and Gabi looked over at Gabriella, who was staring at the familiar house.

"This is it." Gabriella said.

"Come with me." Gabi said.

"I don't think I should." Gabriella answered.

"You'll get sick if you stay out here. Besides, sometimes you just have to break free." Gabi said with a smile.

"Are you using Twinkle Town against me?" She asked.

"Maybe."

"I knew that would happen one day." Gabriella said with a laugh.

The two of them walked toward the door and rang the doorbell. They were soaked completely now and their long dark hair was starting to stick to their bodies. The door opened and Mrs. Bolton was standing in the doorway. She smiled hugely as she recognized Gabriella and she knew that the girl standing next to her must be the girl Blake was talking about earlier.

"Gabriella! Come on in!" She said excitedly.

"Hi, Mrs. Bolton. Sorry for interrupting your Thanksgiving." Gabriella said as she hugged her.

"Oh, don't be sorry. It's so great to see you after all these years. How long has it been?" She asked.

"About eighteen years." Gabriella said with a small smile.

"You must be freezing. Why are you soaking wet?" She asked.

"My car broke down halfway here so we walked the rest of the way." She explained.

"Oh, dear God! Let's go into the kitchen and see if we can dry you off." She said.

"I don't want to get your floors wet." Gabriella said as she remembered how Mrs. Bolton always hated messy floors.

"Don't worry about it. I care more about you than my floors." She said as she led the way to the kitchen.

Gabi smiled at Gabriella as she walked next to her, toward the kitchen. Gabriella stopped when she got to the doorway and Gabi stood next to her. They both looked at each other when they saw Troy.

"Look who stopped by!" Mrs. Bolton said.

Mr. Bolton and Troy turned around to see who Mrs. Bolton was talking about. Gabriella smiled slightly and Gabi waved.

"Gabriella?" Mr. Bolton said as he walked over to her. "You haven't changed a bit!" He said as he hugged her. "It's good to see you!"

"It's good to see you, too." She said with a smile.

"What are you two doing here… on Thanksgiving?" Troy asked.

"Well…" Gabriella started.

"I needed to find Blake and I knew Ms. Montez knew where you'd be so she drove me and then her car broke down so we had to walk the rest of the way. That's why we're soaking wet." Gabi explained quickly.

"Oh…" Troy nodded.

"Is Blake here?" Gabi asked.

"No." The Bolton's said together.

"Where is he?" Gabi asked.

"He went looking for you." Troy said.

"Where is he going to look? He doesn't even know where I went." Gabi said shaking her head.

"I'm sure he'll be back soon." Mrs. Bolton said.

"Why don't you sit by the fire to start drying off while you wait for him?" Mr. Bolton suggested.

Gabriella and Gabi sat by the fire and their hair dripped silently. Gabi kept looking at the clock on the wall and Gabriella sat, leaning against the coffee table.

"Ms. Montez…" Gabi whispered.

"Yeah?" She asked.

"How can you just sit there?" Gabi asked.

"I had a lot of time to practice waiting." Gabriella explained.

"I'm going crazy!" Gabi said. "I have to go look for him!"

"You'll get lost if you go out there. You don't know the area."

"Well, send a search party if I don't come back in a half hour, but I have to go." She said as she stood up.

"Be careful." Gabriella said as she left the room.

Gabi walked out of the house and ran across the front yard. She looked around quickly and started to walk down the street. Mr. Bolton was standing by Troy as they watched Gabriella from the kitchen.

"She's beautiful." Mr. Bolton said. "She still looks the same." He said with a smile.

"Yeah, she does." Troy sighed.

"Makes you rethink things doesn't it?" He asked his son.

"Yeah, Dad. But remember you had something to do with it. You pressured me all of my high school life to be a star basketball player."

"Don't remind me." Mr. Bolton said with a chuckle.

"I wish I could just start over." Troy said honestly.

"You can today. Take her some hot chocolate." Mr. Bolton said as he handed a mug to his son.

"No, you can." He said.

"The start of something new." He said with a smile.

"Are you using Twinkle Town against me?" He asked.

"I will forever." He said as he pushed his son into the family room.

Troy walked over to Gabriella who was still sitting by the fire. He cleared his throat so she would know that he was there and she turned to face him when he did. She gave him a small smile.

"I brought you some hot chocolate." He said as he handed it to her.

"Thank you." She said as she took it from him and looked down into the large mug.

Troy nodded as he sat on the couch across from her.

"Where's Gabi?" Troy asked.

"She went to look for Blake." Gabriella explained.

"She's crazy. It's pouring rain outside."

"You can't stop someone in love, I guess." Gabriella said somewhat awkwardly.

"Yeah I guess not." He said.

"It's been a while since she left. I wonder if she got lost." Gabriella said as she stood up and set her hot chocolate on the coffee table. She walked over to the window and looked out through the curtains.

"I'm sure she's fine." Troy said as he looked out the window next to her.

**Gabi** was breathing heavily as she walked back toward the house. She had been looking for Blake for what seemed like hours and her clothes were soaked through completely. She stopped when she got to the front of the house, she was standing in the middle of the damp lawn and tears were falling freely from her chocolate brown eyes.

She couldn't believe after all the trouble she went through getting to the Bolton's house, she still didn't find him. She felt numb from the cold and her knees felt like they were going to give out from under her. She looked up at the sky and the hard rain splashed against her face. She looked down the street again and all that could be seen was the street lights and the cars that were lined up around the neighborhood. She heard her name being called when she was about to head for the front door, so she stopped and looked down the street again. She saw Blake running toward her and she started crying harder from happiness.

"Blake!" Gabi said excitedly as he got to the front yard.

Blake grabbed Gabi in his arms and held her tightly, telling himself that she was never worth letting go of. Gabi continued to cry as she looked at him.

"I've been waiting for you." She said.

He smiled and hugged her again.

"I'm so sorry, Gabi. I never wanted to choose sides." He started.

"Don't be sorry, Blake. I wasn't mad. Let's just forget about all of this." She said with a smile.

"Okay." He said as he nodded. "How did you get here?" He asked.

"Ms. Montez drove me here."

"What?" He asked.

"I knew she would know where you would be for Thanksgiving." Gabi explained.

"So is she in there? With my dad?" He asked.

"I think so. Unless she left while I was looking for you."

"How long have you been out here?" He asked.

"I don't know. For a while."

"You're going to get sick. Come on I have to get you inside." He said as he took her hand.

"Wait." Gabi said as she stopped him.

"What?" He asked as he looked at her.

She brushed a piece of his wet hair away from his forehead and looked into his Bolton blue eyes.

"I love you. You know that?" She asked. She shocked herself with the sudden comment.

"I love you more. You know that?" He asked as he kissed her passionately.

"I don't think that's possible." She said with a laugh as she walked up the porch steps to the door.

Inside Gabriella was in the kitchen helping Mrs. Bolton with the dishes while Troy and his dad talked in the family room. Gabi and Blake came in and they each left a puddle by the front door.

"Finally." Troy said.

"You two need to change." Mr. Bolton said when he saw them. "Go tell your Grandma you're back first."

Blake and Gabi walked into the kitchen where Mrs. Bolton and Gabriella were.

"Grandma, I'm back." Blake said. "Hi, Ms. Montez."

"Hey, Blake." She said with a smile.

"I'll help Gabi find something to wear." Mrs. Bolton said.

"I brought extra clothes in my bag. She can take those." Blake said with a smile.

"Okay we'll be back." Mrs. Bolton said as she walked out with Gabi.

"Ms. Montez…" Blake started.

"Yeah?" She asked as she faced him.

"I want to apologize to you about what I said the other day. I was mad, but my dad explained everything to me so I know that it wasn't your fault." Blake said.

"I understand." Gabriella said with a smile.

"Well, I'm going to change. See you in a few." He said as he left the kitchen.

Gabriella heard a knock on the door and she left the kitchen to answer it. She shook her head when she saw Taylor, Sharpay, Ryan, Zeke, Chad and the two little ones.

"We couldn't wait any longer for you to come home so we came here." Sharpay explained.

"Hey, Troy, you have some company." Gabriella called as she left them at the front door to go back in the kitchen.

Troy walked toward the front door and he laughed when he saw everyone.

"Hey, Troy!" Sharpay squealed as she hugged him.

"Hey, Sharpay. You look great." He said with a laugh.

"Thanks."

"Hey, Troy. Long time no see." Taylor said.

"It's great to see you again." Troy said as he gave her a hug.

"This is Ty and this is Gayle." Taylor said pointing to her kids.

"They're mine and Chad's." She said with a smile.

"They're beautiful." Troy said.

Sharpay and Taylor eyed their husbands from behind Troy.

"Chad, don't be stubborn. Say hi to your best friend." Taylor said.

"Honey…" Chad started.

"Don't _honey_ me." Taylor said. "I'm going in the kitchen to help Gabriella."

Taylor and Sharpay walked into the kitchen leaving the men alone to talk.

"Hey, guys." Troy said awkwardly.

"Hey, Troy! So great to see you!" Ryan said as he shook his hand.

"Hey, Ryan." Troy said with a smile.

"Good job with the Lakers." Zeke said as he gave Troy a quick, manly hug.

"Thanks. That catering business that you own is amazing." Troy said.

"How do you know about that?" Zeke asked with a smile.

"They cater all my parties. I have to support my friends." Troy said with a smile.

Troy smiled at Chad who was quiet as he watched them.

"Troy." He simply said.

"Chad." Troy said back with a smile.

"So have you talked to Gabriella?" He asked.

"I don't know what to say." Troy said honestly.

"We better get strategizing then." Chad said with a smile.

"Thanks, man." Troy said.

"What are brothers for?" He asked.

They both hugged each other as they walked into the family room. Mr. Bolton was thrilled to see the boys again and they all sat talking excitedly while the women talked in the kitchen. Gabi and Blake walked in the family room together and they sat in the love seat talking. Gabi was wearing Blake's basketball shorts and a white T-shirt, while Blake wore his dad's old East High T-shirt and basketball warm up pants. They both laughed as they sat down and Troy smiled at his son who gave him the same smile back. Inside the kitchen, Mrs. Bolton joined the girls and she was happy to be among some women for a change. They all noticed Gabriella glancing into the family room and Mrs. Bolton was the only one who would comment on it.

"If you want to talk to Troy, you can go." She said with a smile.

"No, I don't." Gabriella said with a small smile.

"Gabriella…" Sharpay started, but she stopped when Gabriella interrupted her.

"I don't understand how he can talk to them and he could barely say two words to me." Gabriella said angrily.

"He just isn't comfortable yet." Mrs. Bolton explained.

"I don't understand how he couldn't be comfortable around me. I only loved him for twenty two years of my life." Gabriella said angrily.

"Maybe it's just time to let go." Mrs. Bolton suggested.

"That's definitely not an option, Mrs. Bolton." Sharpay and Taylor agreed together.

"Yeah, I guess not." Mrs. Bolton nodded.

"You know what really makes me mad?" Gabriella asked.

"What?" Taylor asked.

"That he could have just had a kid with someone right when he moved to California; while I was here thinking he would come back for me." Gabriella said.

"It was a mistake." Mrs. Bolton said.

"It was a mistake to believe he would come back. I could be married right now or have kids, but now it's too late." Gabriella said as a tear ran down her cheek.

"Gabriella, honey. It's never too late to start a family." Mrs. Bolton said.

"It's too late to start a family with him though." Gabriella said as she walked out of the kitchen.

"Gabs, come back!" Sharpay called after her.

Sharpay, Taylor, and Mrs. Bolton walked into the family room and gave their husbands worried looks. Blake saw the look that was on the women's faces and he looked over at his dad.

"Dad!" He said as he saw Gabriella at the door.

Gabriella was holding in her sobs as she opened the front door and walked out. The rain was still pouring as she walked along the sidewalk, toward the garage. She stood next to the closed garage door and the small part of the roof sheltered her from the rain. She let out her sobs as she slid down to the ground. She put her face in her hands and her body hurt from the loss of breath.

"Gabriella." She heard Troy say.

"Leave me alone, Troy." She said as she sucked in her tears.

She felt a hand on her arm and she looked up to see Troy crouched down next to her.

"Stand up." He said as he put out his hand.

Gabriella took it, but she quickly let go once she was up. She was still crying and she wouldn't look at Troy directly. She started crying harder when he wasn't saying anything and she hated when he pulled her closer to him. She cried into his shoulder as he wrapped his arms around her and she wished he wasn't there.

"I hate you so much right now. You know that?" She asked him as she removed herself from his grasp.

"Why are you crying?" He asked since he already knew she hated him.

"Because of you, Troy." She said as she looked at him.

"I don't want you to cry over me." He said.

"You should have told me that eighteen years ago." She said.

"I know." Troy said quietly.

"You could have called to tell me you didn't love me anymore, Troy. I hated waiting." Gabriella said as a few new tears fell from her eyes.

"I couldn't have called you." Troy answered.

"Why not?" Gabriella scowled.

"Because I never stopped loving you." Troy said.

"I can't wait for you any longer. I can't teach here while you play basketball, while I'm constantly alone and crying. It's too late." Gabriella said.

"It's never too late." Troy said.

"So what if it isn't? It wouldn't work if we tried to get back together, you're always gone and I'm staying in Albuquerque, I'm keeping my promise." Gabriella said.

"That's why I'm quitting." Troy said.

"No, you're not." She said.

"I already did. I'm going to coach basketball with Chad like I promised and I'm coming back for you, right now." He said.

"You love basketball." Gabriella said with a few tears falling from her eyes.

"I love you and my family more." He said.

"Troy, you can't expect me to forgive you right now." Gabi said quietly. "I've been waiting for you for too long just to be swept off my feet by a simple 'I love you'."

"I don't know what to say, Gabriella. What do you want me to do?" Troy asked.

"I want you to be able to answer that question for yourself." Gabriella said as she started to walk down the driveway.

Troy didn't run after her, he knew she needed her space. She needed the time to think over everything and walking home gave her the right amount of time to do just that. As Troy walked back into his parent's house, the group of people sitting in the family room went quiet and they all looked at him.

"So, what happened?" Chad asked as he held his son on his lap, he was sleeping.

"She left." Troy said.

"What?!" Gabi and Blake exclaimed together.

"She needed time to think, space to go her own way." Troy explained.

"Not again." Sharpay groaned as she threw her arms in the air.

"Dad, why didn't you go after her?" Blake asked.

"Blake, she doesn't want me to run after her. We're not in high school anymore, it's different." Troy explained.

"School's going to suck on Monday." Blake said with a sigh.

"Thanks for only thinking of yourself, son." Troy said, shaking his head.

"It runs in the family." Blake said, honestly.

"Well, I'm going to go find Gabriella. I don't want her walking home in the rain." Sharpay said as she headed for the door.

"I'll go with you." Taylor said as she followed Sharpay.

"Zeke, go home with Chad. I might not be home tonight." Sharpay said with a smile as she blew him a kiss from the door.

"Chad, watch the kids, okay? I don't want them getting into any trouble while I'm gone. If you have to, invite Zeke over to help out. I'm staying with Gabs tonight." She ordered as she walked by Sharpay.

"Okay, honey." Chad said.

"Be careful driving there, Shar." Zeke called after her as she walked outside.

They heard the screeching of Sharpay's pink car as they sat in the family room and Zeke shook his head at his daring wife. The light of the fire dimmed as the rest of the guests went home. Gabi's parent's picked her up and her mom lectured about leaving on a family holiday. Troy and Blake left shortly after and they were quiet as they drove home.

"Dad…" Blake started.

"Yeah?" Troy asked as he turned a corner.

"How are you ever going to get Ms. Montez back?" He asked, curiously.

"I don't know yet. I'm still thinking."

"Are you going to have time? You know, since you have to leave in a couple of days?" Blake asked.

"I probably should tell you the recent change in my job description." Troy started.

"What do you mean?" Blake asked.

"I quit my job." Troy said. "I want to start over here. I need to start spending more time with you." Troy said as he glanced at his son.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Blake asked.

"I had my fair share of basketball. It's time to come back."

"Wow…" Blake said as he nodded his head.

Troy laughed quietly as he looked at Blake.

"Would you be mad if I didn't want to be a professional basketball player?" Blake asked.

"Not at all. If you want to be a Broadway star, I'd be fine with that." Troy said with a smile.

"Sorry, Dad, but I didn't get any musical talent from you." Blake said with a laugh.

"I guess you can't have it all." Troy said.

"I have enough." Blake said as he thought of Gabi. "I think I'm going to marry Gabi one day."

"Don't get too set on that idea. You might change your mind." Troy said.

"I won't change my mind. I was thinking a ring like Mrs. Baylor's would look good on Gabi's finger." Blake said.

"You better start saving up. That thing's a rock." Troy said with a laugh.

"That's what you're for." Blake said with a laugh.

"Oh, am I? You better watch yourself or I won't leave you anything in my will." Troy threatened, jokingly.

Troy and Blake went to sleep soon after they got home and Sharpay and Taylor were sitting on the couch at Gabriella's house as they ate ice cream and talked about eighteen years of un-talked about topics.

* * *

**Like it? Review! In the next chapter, everyone goes back to school... everyone. **

**Much love,**

**unknownbyhim22**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey everyone! I LOVE YOU!! You're the best people ever! I'm so glad you're liking this story! You're totally the best!! This chapter is kind of short, but for some reason it's one of my favorites. Enjoy! **

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Back at East High

Chapter twelve

The sun was shining through the opened windows into Ms. Montez's classroom on Monday morning. The sound from the hallway was quieter then usual, but she didn't mind as she checked papers. Most of the class was there a minute before the bell rang and Ms. Montez greeted each of them with a smile. Blake and Gabi walked in laughing and holding hands while C and Zac walked behind them. The class suddenly stopped what they were doing and looked at the group of four walking to their desks. The girls gasped and the guys whispered amongst themselves. Ms. Montez watched the reaction of the class and smiled to herself.

"What's going on?" Jake, a fellow basketball player asked.

"Nothing out of the ordinary." Blake said as he stood at the front of the room.

"You're holding hands." Mackenzie said in disgusted as she looked at the couple.

"And dating, but there's nothing wrong with that." C said, defending his friends.

"I don't understand." Summer announced. "I thought we were all on sides and now you're together?" She asked.

"We shouldn't be on sides. We all go to this school together and we have to make the best of our senior year." Blake said.

"Yeah, we're all in this together." Gabi said with a smile.

"Exactly." Blake said as he looked at her with a smile.

"Okay, everyone, sit down." Ms. Montez said as she stood up.

The class sat quietly at their desks as they waited for Ms. Montez to tell them what to do. Every so often Blake would turn around to look at Gabi and he smiled as she giggled quietly.

"I think it would be a good time to start a group activity." Ms. Montez announced.

"Do we have to?" Jake asked as the rest of the class groaned, except Blake and Gabi.

"Of course we do." Ms. Montez laughed. "We are going to go around the classroom and say something nice about everyone." Ms. Montez instructed.

"I'll go first." Zac said as he stood up.

"Okay, you can compliment one person. Who do you choose?" Ms. Montez asked.

"I'll compliment Summer." Zac said.

"What?" Summer asked suddenly, not understanding why _he_ would want to compliment her.

"I think she is very talented and I secretly have been to every musical and play she's been in." He said with a smile.

"Really?" Summer asked happily.

"Yup, it's true." Zac said.

"Okay, now Summer you can complement Zac." Ms. Montez said.

Summer nodded and stood up with a smile.

"I think it's cool that Zac bakes. I secretly have been waiting for him to bake me cookies, but whatev." She said as she sat down. "Oh! If you need someone to try new recipes I'm volunteering right now."

"Finally! Someone who understands!" He exclaimed.

The class laughed along with Ms. Montez and Zac smiled at Summer, who happily smiled back.

"Who's next?" Ms. Montez asked with a smile.

"I'll go." C said.

"Okay, go ahead."

"I'll compliment my best friend Blake." C said with a grin. "He is the best basketball player I know and even though we fight over things that may be stupid I know he'll be there for me."

"Thanks, man." Blake said with a smile.

"Blake it's your turn." Ms. Montez said.

"Okay, so C has been my best friend for forever and he is a good listener when I need to talk. Oh, and he'll be a good best man one day. He knows what I'm talking about." Blake said as he high fived C as he turned to face him. He winked at Gabi and she blushed like crazy.

"Okay." Ms. Montez said with a laugh. "Who's next?"

Everyone in the class raised their hand and Ms. Montez smiled to herself, glad that her plan to bring the class back together worked. Everyone had a chance to compliment each other and the class soon ended with everyone laughing and talking as they left the room.

The next day Ms. Montez was standing in the hallway greeting the students as they came into the class. Summer was standing next to Ms. Montez looking over an essay she wrote for health class. Summer was watching Zac talk to C as she waited for Ms. Montez to finish reading and as she looked down the hallway she saw Coach Danforth walking down the hallway with Troy as they looked down at a clipboard.

"I can't believe it!" Summer exclaimed.

Ms. Montez looked up from the paper and saw what Summer was talking about.

"Me either."

"What is he doing here?" Summer asked.

"He must have moved back to Albuquerque." Ms. Montez said pretending she didn't already know.

"Awkward!" Summer sang as she left Ms. Montez in the hallway as she went in the classroom.

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**Aw! I love the kids of East High. Well, review for the next chapter. **

**Much love,**

**unknownbyhim22**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hey everyone! I've never been so happy because of the reviews that I have gotten! I am so glad that you are all liking this story and have continued to review. I am sad to annouce though that there are only two chapters left. :( Make the last few reviews count, I guess. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Thank you all so much. **

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Back at East High

Chapter thirteen

Gabriella, Taylor, and Sharpay were sitting at a round table in the teacher's lounge eating their lunch. They were laughing as Sharpay told Gabriella and Taylor about how Ryan had tripped over the piano earlier that day. The door to the lounge opened and Chad and Ryan walked in with Troy. The girls stopped laughing and looked at each other awkwardly as the guys walked toward them.

"Mind if we sit with you ladies? Chad asked with a smile.

As if needing permission to sit next to his wife, he stayed standing up, waiting for the secret communicating between the women to stop.

"Not at all." Sharpay said with a smile.

Chad sat next to Taylor and Ryan sat next to Sharpay, leaving an empty seat next to Gabriella. Troy sat down and pulled his lunch out of his brown bag. Gabriella smiled to herself when she saw the peanut butter and jelly sandwich that was sitting next to the green grapes. Sharpay cleared her throat and gasped like a plate of chili fries had just been dumped on her.

"I think I left my bead bucket open!" She exclaimed as she stood up.

Ryan followed her as she walked out of the teacher's lounge. Chad elbowed Taylor and she smiled at Gabriella.

"I really should be getting back to my room. I have some labs to get set up." Taylor said as she stood up.

"Yeah, and I think the basketballs need to be pumped." Chad said as he followed his wife.

Gabriella shook her head as she looked at the suddenly empty table. She was purposely left with Troy and she was definitely going to give Sharpay and Taylor an earful after lunch.

"You would think after all these years their excuses would get better." Gabriella said, shaking her head.

"Yeah." Troy said with a laugh.

It was quiet for a while as they both stared at their lunches and Gabriella looked up when a grape bounced off of her arm.

"If I was supposed to catch that that was definitely not fair." Gabriella said with a laugh.

"You couldn't have caught that if you tried." Troy laugh.

"Yes I would have! I've gotten better!" She said excitedly.

"Let's see." Troy said with a smile.

"Fine." Gabriella said as she sat in the chair across from him.

He threw a green grape at her and she caught it with her mouth.

"I never thought I'd ever see that." Troy laughed.

"I practiced just for you." She said sarcastically.

"I bet." Troy said with a smile.

"Let's see if you still have skills." Gabriella said as she took a few grapes from Troy's plastic bag. She laughed as three grapes bounced off of Troy's face and landed back on the table. Troy laughed too and smiled as he rolled his eyes.

"I guess I deserved that." Troy said.

"You did." Gabriella said with a smile.

A few days later, Blake was practicing in the gym after practice was let out. He laughed as Gabi stuck her head through the opened gym door to see if he was still there. She skipped over to him and laughed as Blake tossed her the basketball. They shot a few baskets and stopped when they heard Troy call after them.

"Blake! Closed practice! You know that." Troy said as he walked over to them.

"Come on, Dad. She's keeping me company." Blake said.

"Blake, you know the rules." Troy said sternly.

"I also know someone who broke them constantly when he was in high school." Blake said with a grin.

"Fine, but don't keep doing this." Troy said as he shook his head and headed toward the door.

"Thanks, Mr. Bolton!" Gabi called after him. Troy waved without turning around and walked out through the gym doors. Gabriella was walking past the doors when he came out.

"You're getting soft aren't you, Coach Bolton?" She asked as she looked down at her papers.

"You're eavesdropping, Ms. Montez." Troy pointed out.

"No, I'm just passing by." Gabriella said, still looking down at her papers.

Troy smiled as he watched Gabriella walk down the hallway; he looked through the gym doors at his son and nodded thoughtfully.

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**Like it? Review! The next chapter is pretty much the closing chapter. The wildcats have a barbacue at Troy's house... **

**Much love,**

**unknownbyhim22**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hey everyone! This story is almost done. I'm very sad to see it coming to an end. I hope you like this chapter!**

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Back at East High

Chapter fourteen

The backyard smelled like cooking hotdogs and bug spray as Troy and Blake's guest arrived. Troy was happily grilling hotdogs and hamburgers as Chad talked to him. They were going over next year's basketball strategies and Taylor rolled her eyes at her husband as she was given a hamburger. Chad and Taylor got a babysitter for the night to spend some time with their friends. It was warm outside and a light breeze blew that gave the boys playing basketball some relief. Summer and Gabi were watching from the sidelines as Blake, C, and Zac played a quick game of two on one. Gabi smiled as the boys included her, and Summer insisted on being the score keeper.

Gabriella, Taylor, and Sharpay sat at a round, glass table as Ryan, Chad, Troy, and Zeke watched the game from the grill. Sharpay stirred her iced tea with her blue straw and Gabriella fixed her sunglasses as Taylor swatted an annoying fly away from her food. Gabriella smiled as she watched Blake lift Gabi up to the basketball net to make the basket. Gabriella took her empty plate toward the grill and smiled when she got there.

"Raw hotdog or burnt hamburger?" Troy asked with a smile.

"I think I'd be safer with the burnt hamburger." Gabriella said with a laugh.

"I wouldn't be so sure." Ryan said as Troy placed the burger on her plate.

Gabriella laughed and Troy winked at her quickly. She walked back to her table and Chad eyed Troy suspiciously.

Blake and his friends finished their game and they ate when the grownups decided to play a game of their own. Sharpay, Ryan, and Zeke made up one team and Gabriella, Troy, and Chad made up the other, while Taylor kept score. She sat comfortably on a lawn chair and she used her motherly senses to make sure the kids weren't getting in trouble.

"Losers have to sing a song from Twinkle Town." Ryan announced.

"No way!" Chad protested.

"Don't be a chicken man." Zeke said with a grin.

"Well, I won't be the one singing about bopping and mopping." Chad said, competitively.

"Oh, we'll see." Zeke said with a smile.

The group laughed as they started and Gabriella got the first basket for her team. Chad gave her a high five and she did a victory dance as she chanted.

"Microwave popcorn, baby, microwave popcorn!" She said with a laugh. Troy laughed too, and the rest of the group looked at them in confusion.

It was starting to get dark out and the kids watched the grownups as they talked amongst themselves. They laughed as they watched Sharpay skip around the court, because she got a basket. Summer was sitting between C and Zac and C was sitting next to Blake who was next to Gabi.

"Do they remind you of someone?" Summer asked as she watched them.

"No." They agreed in unison.

"Come on, you don't see it?" Summer asked.

"See what?" C asked.

"Do they remind you of us?" She asked.

"Why would they?" Zac asked.

"Doesn't Mrs. Baylor…" Summer started.

"We can use first names now. We graduated." Blake said happily.

"Right." Summer nodded. "Doesn't Sharpay remind you of me?" She asked.

The group watched Sharpay for a minute and laughed at the similarity.

"Yeah she does." Gabi laughed

"And Zeke reminds me of Zac. Chad, C. Troy and Gabriella remind me of Blake and Gabi." Summer pointed out.

"Yeah, you're right." C said.

"But that means we're like married if we are putting ourselves in their shoes." Zac said to Summer.

"Yeah, and I would have to marry a Scholastic Decathlon girl!" C protested.

Blake shot him a look and Gabi raised her eyebrow.

"Not that that's bad or anything." C said quickly.

"Hopefully it ends better then your dad and Gabriella." Summer said as she looked over at Blake and Gabi.

"It will. After all I'm not playing professional basketball and I'm staying in Albuquerque." Blake said with a satisfied smile.

"You're going to stay in Albuquerque?" Gabi asked.

Summer let out a small gasp and the guys looked at Gabi quickly.

"Yeah, why?" Blake asked.

"I was planning on leaving for college." Gabi said seriously.

"As in leaving Albuquerque?" Blake asked, partially hurt for not knowing her plans.

"Yeah." Gabi said, nodding quietly.

"I'm sure we can work something out." Blake said.

"Dude! What about coaching basketball?" C asked angrily.

"What? I'm not saying I'm not…" Blake started.

"I bet this was your plan the whole time. Going off with _her_." C said as she stood up.

"I didn't even know what she was doing, man." Blake said as he stood up too.

"So this is my fault?" Gabi asked as she stood by C.

Summer and Zac walked by them and tried to remain neutral.

"Stop fighting! I'm sure we can figure this out." Summer said loudly.

"Summer, don't get involved." Zac said as he rolled his eyes.

"Ooh… go bake something!" Summer said angrily so he wouldn't tell her what to do.

"Don't tell me when to bake! You sequins-covered blonde!" He shouted.

"You did not just go there!" Summer yelled.

"I can't believe you didn't tell me about leaving!" Blake shouted.

"It wasn't final, but obviously I should go since you already made plans without me." Gabi shouted.

"He doesn't need permission to make plans." C shouted.

"Calm down!" Blake yelled. "I'm not making any plans yet."

"We promised each other we'd coach at East High!" C shouted.

"Hold on, man." Blake said as he turned to Gabi. "What's up? It's like you've been holding this all in."

"Blake we haven't even talked about this! Maybe history is just going to repeat itself and we'll end up like your dad and Gabriella." Gabi said as tears formed in her eyes.

"I'll stay here and I'll make everything work."

"Listen to yourself, Blake! Everything can't work out like we want it to! Everything you've been talking about has been about _you_ and how _you_ will fix it. What about me? What about us?" Gabi shouted.

"What do you want me to do?" Blake asked.

"I don't know! Do you want to coach with C? Go ahead. Do you want to stay around this place and see everyone get hurt by each other because there are cliques and groups? Stay then, but I won't be the one waiting for things to change or for people to come back after eighteen years." Gabi shouted.

Blake didn't say anything. He was quiet as he watched tears slid down Gabi's cheeks. He stood there as the grownups broke up the fight that was forming within their group.

"What is going on?" Gabriella asked when the group was quiet. "What happened?" She asked Gabi when she saw the escaping tears.

"I don't know. Why don't you ask Blake or even better, Troy because obviously heartbreak and selfishness runs in the family?" Gabi said as she looked at both of the men who were standing next to each other.

"Why don't we sit down?" Ryan suggested.

"Yeah, hold hands around the campfire." Sharpay said with a smile.

Zeke hugged her as he walked toward the fire pit with the group. Gabi was sitting next to Summer and Gabriella and the heat from the fire made more tears form in her eyes.

"So what happened?" Zeke asked.

"It all started off when we realized that each one of you are like one of us," Summer explained. "I thought I was like Sharpay and C was like Chad while Zac was like Zeke, you know the baking thing?"

"Why were you fighting over that?" Troy asked.

"Because then we realized that Blake and Gabi might end up like you and Gabriella." C explained.

"Ooh." Gabriella said softly.

"You shouldn't be fighting over something that might happen." Taylor said.

"We're not." Blake spoke up distraughtly. "We're fighting because Gabi didn't tell me she wanted to leave for college."

"Well you didn't tell me you wanted to stay." Gabi spoke up.

"A miscommunication." Chad said nodding.

"Whatever, it doesn't matter anymore." Blake said shaking his head.

"Maybe not to you, but to me it does." Gabi said angrily.

"You should go talk to each other privately." Troy suggested.

Blake sighed and stood up. He started to walk toward the front yard and Gabi followed him. Blake sat on the porch step and Gabi sat an arms length away from him. They were quiet for a minute as they watched cars pass the house. The light from the moon and stars reflected on them and Blake looked at Gabi whose dark hair seemed to shine from the white light.

"Sorry I didn't tell you this sooner." Gabi said as she glanced at Blake.

"Why are you so worried about the future?" Blake asked.

"College is happening now. It's not the future anymore." Gabi explained.

"What about right now, Gabi?" Blake asked.

"I don't know." Gabi said quietly.

"What am I supposed to do, Gabi? Sit around and pretend everything's okay, pretend that we're happy? Well we're not. You're leaving and I'm staying." He said as he stood up and walked across the front lawn to walk back to the backyard.

"Blake wait!" Gabi said as she walked over to him. He stopped, but he didn't turn around. "You can't make this out to be my fault." She told him.

"Do me a favor, Gabi. If you're gone for eighteen years don't bother coming back." He said as he left her alone. A stream of quiet tears rolled down her cheek and with the sudden silence that formed around her, she walked home.

Blake walked slowly toward the group that was quietly talking as they watched the fire. They looked at Blake as he stood behind the bench C was sitting on.

"How'd it go, man?" C asked Blake.

"She left." Blake answered quietly.

"What happened?" Gabriella asked.

"You know what?" Blake started, ignoring the question. "I don't know how you can even sit next to him." He said to Gabriella angrily.

"What?" Gabriella asked in confusion.

"If he left you how Gabi just left me, I don't know how you can even look at him." Blake said as he looked at Gabriella, then back at his dad.

"Blake." Troy started.

"Whatever, Dad." Blake said as he walked toward the back door.

C and Zac glanced at each other and then back at the door where Blake had disappeared through.

"I think I'm going to go talk to him." C said as he stood up.

Zac followed him across the backyard and they both walked inside, shutting the door behind them. Summer stood up and smiled awkwardly at the group.

"I'm going to check on Gabi. Great party, Mr. Bolton." She said as she walked toward the gate that lead her to the front yard.

"Poor guy." Chad said, shaking his head.

"He'll be okay. I'm sure Gabi will come back." Gabriella said with a nod.

"I have a bad feeling that she won't." Taylor said.

"What should we do?" Zeke asked.

"I don't think we can do anything. This is their problem to figure out." Troy said quietly.

"I feel like this is our fault." Sharpay said to the group.

"It wouldn't be the first time." Gabriella said as she looked at Troy.

"I think we should start over." Ryan said after a moment of silence.

"What do you mean?" Chad asked him.

"From graduation. Let's talk. I think we need to solve our problems first to even consider helping the kids with theirs." Ryan said.

"What do you want to talk about?" Taylor asked.

"I think we need to talk about our feelings the day we graduated. The day we found out our lives were going to change." Ryan said.

"I was scared." Sharpay admitted, indicating that she wanted to start this conversation. "I wanted so much then, but I didn't realize what I actually needed." She said as she looked at Zeke.

"I always thought you'd be on Broadway for the rest of your life." Zeke started as he looked at her. "The day of graduation I was preparing myself to watch you leave in your pink convertible." He said as he looked at Sharpay.

The group sat silently as they watched them. Taylor and Gabriella smiled at each other as they watched Sharpay become teary eyed as she looked at her husband. Zeke continued as he held her hand.

"I couldn't believe it when I sat down in my car and you were sitting in the passenger's seat. I still remember what you said to me…" He started, but Sharpay finished for him.

"What are you going to bake for me, hubby?" Sharpay said with a laugh. She remembered that day too and the group laughed as they heard this story.

"I was ecstatic when Shar went with Zeke. I could finally do what I wanted." Ryan said with a laugh.

"Ryan!" Sharpay scowled.

"I love you, sis, but I couldn't wait to graduate." Ryan admitted with a laugh.

Sharpay shrugged and leaned her head on Zeke's shoulder as he held her hand and moved her pink wedding ring around her finger as they both listened. Chad spoke next with a smile.

"I never told Taylor this, but if it wasn't for Troy I might have never married Taylor." Chad said with a laugh as he looked over at Troy.

"What?" Taylor asked as she looked at her husband.

Chad laughed and continued as he spoke honestly.

"I didn't think you would want to marry someone like me. So I was going to wait until maybe you finally got sick of it and did something about it, but then Troy left. I remember standing in the parking lot with him as he stood by his car ready to leave. He said 'Marry Taylor… she won't say no.' I assumed Gabriella told him since Taylor told Gabriella everything personal that happened in her life." Chad explained with a smile.

"Troy told you to marry me?" Taylor asked.

"I was going to in the long run, but he gave me the courage to do it." Chad explained.

"I guess I could thank you then." Taylor said with a smile as she looked at Troy.

"No need to thank me." Troy said with a smile.

"You are right though." Taylor said as she looked at Chad. "I would have done something about it. Before graduation I was at Gabriella's house crying because I thought you'd never want to marry me because I was bossy and a control freak. I was going to end it on graduation because I didn't want to stay together if we were never going to get married, but then Troy left. I couldn't see anymore hurt that day." Taylor said.

"You were going to break up with me?" Chad asked sadly.

"Yeah…" Taylor said, nodding.

"I guess we kind of have something all in common." Sharpay said.

"What's that?" Taylor asked.

"We can all thank Troy and Gabriella because without them showing us what we all actually needed we might not be sitting here together." Sharpay said.

"What do you mean?" Gabriella asked her.

"We realized that we didn't need a fancy job or a good explanation for the future to realize what we all needed. We needed each other and eventually we all got that… maybe not in the same way, but we're here together now so it doesn't matter about the past. Maybe we should just think about what we have now." Sharpay said.

"Maybe that's exactly what we should do from now on." Troy said with a smile as he looked over at Gabriella.

"Good idea." She said as she stood up. "I feel a group hug coming on!" She said with a laugh as she held her arms out for the group.

Troy was the first to hug her and after that they were both enveloped by the group that they loved so much. Sharpay hugged Zeke as she kissed him and Taylor kissed Chad like the day he asked her to marry him. Troy laughed as he hugged Gabriella again and he whispered something to her that made her laugh.

"The start of something new!" He sang as he inhaled her hot chocolate scent.

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**I'm getting sad here! I don't want this story to end anymore than you do. :( **

**Much love,**

**unknownbyhim22**


	15. Chapter 15

**Are you ready for this? This is the last chapter and I must admit, it's very short. :( I wrote an epilogue, so if you review I might post it... the epilogue kind of leads into a sequel... but I'm just not sure... would you be up for a sequel? I don't know if I could write the sequel as good as this story. It'll be hard to beat. Well, tell me what you think, like it? Hate it? Any ideas for the sequel (I have a few, but I love hearing from all of you). Enjoy the chapter!**

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Back at East High

Chapter fifteen

Blake angrily attempted to shoot baskets in his backyard, but the thought of a future without Gabi made it difficult to do anything right. He slammed his basketball on the ground after the tenth free throw he missed and he laid on the soft, green grass, next to the court. He looked up at the sky and he closed them quickly, knowing that Gabi's favorite color was blue. The sound of the wind brushing against the trees added to the chirping birds and Blake's deep breathing. He opened his eyes when he heard someone next to him. He turned his head and saw Gabi looking down at him. He looked away from her and from the corner of his eye he saw her lay down next to him. Her hand brushed up against his and he squinted from the bright sun above them.

"I've been thinking." Gabi said after a few minutes.

"About what?" Blake asked.

"If I leave I'm going to regret it because I'm not with you." She explained as she looked up at the bright sky.

"You'll regret it if you don't." Blake said as he turned his head to look at her.

"I don't know what to do, Blake. I've been up all night thinking about this and I just ended up here."

"I'm glad you're here."

"Me too." She said as she turned on her stomach and looked at Blake. She propped herself up on her elbows so she could see him better.

"Look, Gabi. I love you and I want you to be happy. You have to do what you want for yourself, not for me or anyone else."

Tears formed in Gabi's eyes as she looked at him. She put her arm across his chest and leaned her chin on her hand that was just below Blake's shoulder. Blake wrapped his right arm around her waist and held her tightly.

"I'm happy when I'm with you, Blake. I don't want to risk what we have."

"What about your future?" Blake asked her.

"What about ours?" She asked him quietly.

Blake looked into Gabi's sad and confused eyes and he wished he could hold her in his arms forever.

"Gabi…" Blake whispered.

He couldn't say anything as he watched Gabi's cheeks become stained with tears. He breathed deeply as he held her closely and she rested her head on his chest as they both thought about what they could do… what they should do.

"We should just make the best of the time we have together. College won't start for a few months so we have that time to figure it out." Blake said after a few minutes.

"You're right." Gabi said as she sat up.

Blake sat up too and stood up as Gabi did. They looked at each other for a while and Blake smiled as he moved a piece of Gabi's hair away from her face.

"Thanks for coming back." He said as he pressed his forehead gently against hers.

"I'm always going to." Gabi said as she leaned forward so that they were almost kissing.

"Then that's all that matters now." He said as he leaned the rest of the way toward her and kissed her.

Maybe that was all they needed to know in that moment. That they would always come back for each other, whether it was back to Albuquerque or back at East High. Nothing would prepare them for the future and no one could stop the future from happening. So they stayed in that moment in the backyard for as long as they could. Until the sprinklers came on and they had to run for cover inside, where Troy and Gabriella sat laughing together after eighteen years of being apart.

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**Oh yes. It really just ends there. I know, right? Well, again, tell me what you think... I have a lot of decisions to make.**

**Much love,**

**unknownbyhim22**


	16. Chapter 16

**Hey everyone! I thought I kind of hinted in the last chapter that Troy and Gabriella got back together, but apparenty not, so... I guess you'll see in the epilogue for sure if they're together (They are). Well, this chapter is short but sweet and gives you an idea of what they would be doing if there was a sequel... but right now I'm not up for doing a sequel to this story. :( Maybe after I post my new One Shot (A Dating Game) and new story (Army Wives) I will consider doing the sequel. Enjoy this chapter! Thanks for reading and reviewing my story! It means a lot to me. **

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Back at East High

Epilogue

(Chapter Sixteen)

A warm breeze blew through the kitchen window at the Bolton's house and Blake, C, Zac, Summer and Gabi were sitting around the island in the middle of the kitchen. They were each flipping through the yellow pages as they talked amongst their selves. College wasn't starting for a few more months and in the mean time, they needed to start making some money.

"I'm so broke I had to walk here to save the gas in my car for an emergency." C said, shaking his head.

"My parents took away my credit cards because I spent two thousand dollars on accessories last month. They said if I needed money I should earn it myself." Summer said as she rolled her eyes and mocked her parents.

"Are you kidding? Two thousand dollars?!" Gabi exclaimed.

"It was only two bags." Summer explained.

"I'm going to be sick." C said as he read some more adds, trying to ignore Summer.

"Once we find a job I'm sure we'll be okay." Gabi reassured them.

"Look!" Summer said excitedly as she pointed to the page she was looking at.

"What? Did you find a job?" Blake asked.

"No. There's a shoe sale this Friday!" She exclaimed.

"Summer!" Zac said as he placed his hand on her hand. "We can't afford to buy shoes right now." He said slowly so she would understand.

"But they're fifty percent off." She whispered so only Zac could hear.

Zac shook his head and looked back down at his book.

"Did I just hear fifty percent off?" Sharpay asked as she walked in with Gabriella, Taylor, Chad, Zeke, Ryan and Troy following her.

"Yes, you did." Summer nodded.

"Why are you all in here on such a beautiful day?" Taylor asked.

"We need to find a summer job." Blake explained.

Troy smiled at Gabriella and she nodded as she looked at the group around the island.

"I know exactly where to find one." Troy said with a smile.

"Where? When do we start?" Zac asked.

The group of adults looked at Sharpay who was pressing her speed dial number three. She winked at them as she cleared her throat.

"Mr. Fulton, so great to talk to you again… I'm great… yeah Troy and Gabriella are engaged now… I know, how exciting? Listen. I need to ask you a favor." Sharpay said as she walked out of the backdoor.

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**There you have it! Jobs are what's next for the mini Wildcats. If later I decide to do a sequel... it'll probably be like HSM2? Well, for now, goodbye, but be sure to check out my new story that I'll be posting later today or tomorrow. **

**Much love,**

**unknownbyhim22**


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